Uzumaki Naruko: To the Victor, the Spoils V2
by SeerKing
Summary: Uzumaki Naruko has just graduated from the Konohagakure Ninja Academy after defeating Toji Mizuki when her apartment is blown up. Fortunately, she receives a new home thanks to a little known Clan Law dating back to the time of the Nidaime Hokage. Yuri Harem. Weapon Mistress and Chakra Chain Naruko.
1. The Day After

**Author's Note: This was taken down by the admins after someone reported it. I am re-uploading it with slightly reduced lemon content to see if that helps. And to whoever reported me, you are really small minded…**

**By the way, I will be uploading the lemon scenes of all my stories to 'Archive of Our Own'. My username there is the same so look me up id you wanna read the lemons. Irritating, I know, but what can you do?**

**Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masaki Kishimoto, not me.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen" **-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 1: The Day After**

_Konohagakure no Sato, 12 Years after the Kyūbi Attack_

Uzumaki Naruko walked down the road to the Hokage Tower humming slightly. She felt like she was walking on air. Finally, after three years of consecutive failures, she had graduated from the Konoha Ninja Academy and was a kunoichi.

A slight frown crossed her face. Just yesterday she had failed the graduation exam again, an exam she now knew had been rigged by the traitor Mizuki so there was no way she could pass. Afterwards, Mizuki had come up and told her about a special make-up exam she could take. All she had to do was infiltrate the Hokage Tower, steal a specific scroll, learn a jutsu from it and presto, she could graduate.

The infiltration had been easy as the ANBU patrols were far too set in their patrol patterns and she had slipped though during a small gap when none of the ANBU could see her.

She giggled when she remembered what happened next. Her Ji-chan had caught her as she was about to take the scroll, so she hit him with her original ninjutsu, the anti-pervert _**Oiroke no Jutsu (Sexy Jutsu)**_ and knocked him out, blood gushing from his nostrils as he left consciousness behind.

When she had reached the clearing, she had unrolled the scroll, only to discover that the first jutsu in it was a Clone Jutsu, her very worst ninjutsu. It had taken her two hours to learn the damn jutsu and she had been very tired afterwards.

Not long after she had mastered the jutsu, she had been discovered by Iruka-sensei, her other class teacher. He had just figured out Mizuki's plan when he pushed Naruko out of the way of a barrage of kunai and shuriken. He even took an Fūma Shuriken to the back in order to protect her. Mizuki had then told her why she was hated by the villagers.

She was the container of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox that the Fourth Hokage had sacrificed his life to defeat when it attacked the village twelve years ago.

A soft smile graced Naruko's face as she remembered him telling Mizuki that she would never act like Mizuki and was not the demon fox. Those words had given her the courage to stand up once again and face down Mizuki.

She had used her newly learned jutsu, the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Jutsu)**_ and had beaten the man into a near unrecognisable pulp. Then Iruka-sensei had given her his own hitai-ate (Ninja Headband) and graduated her.

Today, she was going to see her Ji-chan and have a talk with him about the damn fox. He had sent an ANBU to ask her to come as soon as possible. She was glad he had chosen a female ANBU as she had just gotten out of the shower.

'_Ok, that's one thing to ask Ji-chan about: why the hell ANBU don't just knock on my door like everyone else instead of breaking in all the time._' Naruko thought to herself as she approached the entrance to the Hokage Tower.

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_Hokage's Office_

Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage, Shinobi no Kami and surrogate grandfather to one Uzumaki Naruko, sat at his desk and wrestled with the once and future enemy of all Kage -paperwork.

He was dressed in the white robes and ceremonial hat of the Hokage and had a weary, burdened look about him that had nothing to do with his advancing years.

He just finished stamping 'denied' on yet another request to have Naruko exiled from the village when his secretary let him know that 'the Demon Bitch' had arrived.

"Thank you, Maya-san." Sarutobi said, barely keeping his anger in check. "Also, please clear out your desk. You are fired."

His now ex-secretary stomped out grumbling under her breath and let Naruko in.

Sarutobi smiled at his surrogate granddaughter fondly. Despite her use of _that_ jutsu, her visits usually brightened his days considerably.

Naruko was slightly shorter than most girls were at her age, which Sarutobi attributed to slight malnutrition. Her eyes were a bright blue and glinted with barely concealed mischief. She had three small scar-like marks on each cheek and a button nose. Her hair was a strange mix of both her father and mother. It was mostly blond like Minato's hair, but had red highlights mixed in like Kushina's hair and it seemed like the more she grew up, the more red appeared in her hair. Currently it was in a ponytail that stretched to the middle of her back. Around her neck was her pair of dark green goggles.

"Ji-chan!" Naruko called exuberantly as she sat down on the chair in front of his desk.

"Naruko-chan." Sarutobi replied, restraining his instinctive impulse to wince at the kill-me-now orange jumpsuit she wore. Seriously, how this girl managed to infiltrate the Hyuuga Estate and replace all their underwear with pink thongs whilst wearing that thing baffled him.

"Ji-chan, why do the ANBU always break into my apartment?" Naruko asked bluntly.

Sarutobi let the wince show this time. "They do that?"

"Yup. The ANBU you sent to fetch me this morning broke my window lock while I was in the shower and scared the crap out of me when I got out." Naruko said with a scowl.

"I see." Sarutobi replied. "That was Hebi (Snake) today, wasn't it?"

"Yup."

"I'll have a word with her." Sarutobi promised, "But for now…I suspect that you have some questions about your…tenant."

Naruko's face fell slightly at the mention of the Kyūbi, but nodded. "Hai, Ji-chan. Mizuki-_teme_-" she spat the traitor's name out as if it was rotten food, "-said that I **was** the fox, that all those deaths twelve years ago were my fault-"

Sarutobi interrupted her furiously. "NO! You are Uzumaki Naruko, Genin of Konoha and _container_ of the Kyūbi no Kitsune, not the beast itself!" He said firmly, making a mental note to have Ibiki and Anko have a…_discussion_ with the former chunin about mentally tormenting his surrogate granddaughter.

"O-OK Ji-chan." Naruko replied, looking slightly relieved, "But then…why do the villagers hate me so much?"

"Because, to be blunt, they don't have the slightest clue about what they are talking about." Sarutobi told her bluntly. Seeing the blank look on his audiences' face, he expanded on his explanation. "When the Yondaime Hokage sealed the fox into you, he used an esoteric and difficult branch of the shinobi arts called Fūinjutsu. Using Fūinjutsu, anything is possible as long as you have the right formula. Unfortunately, as most shinobi prefer to use Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Taijutsu or Bukijutsu (Weapons Jutsu) rather than a complex and hard to understand art like Fūinjutsu, no-one could explain precisely what the Yondaime had done."

Sarutobi held up a hand as Naruko looked as if she were about to interject. After she settled down again, he continued.

"What further complicated the matter were the exact seals he used to seal the Kyūbi. There are at _least_ two and I suspect there are more. The first was the _**Shiki **__**Fūjin**__** (Reaper Death Seal)**_. The second was the _**Hakke **__**Fūin **__**(Eight Trigrams Seal)**_ which is made of two _**Shishō Fūin (Four Symbols Seals)**_. Even the least complicated of these seals is way over the heads of an untrained civilian, so they act as humans often do: distrust what they don't understand."

Naruko's face was an embodiment of anger. "And the shinobi?" She demands, "There had to have been _someone_ who understood Fūinjutsu other than Yondaime-sama!"

"There was and is." Sarutobi acknowledged. "My own student, Jiraya of the Sannin, is now Konoha's last remaining Seal Master. Unfortunately, Jiraya-kun is rarely in Konoha because he is in charge of our spy network, which requires him to be on the move on a frequent basis. That meant he wasn't in Konoha during the attack of the Kyūbi and, sadly, he couldn't tell the idiot civilians how they were disrespecting both the wishes AND the abilities of the Yondaime with every cry for your death."

"Great. Just great." Naruko said bitterly, "So no matter what I do, I'm screwed." Her eyes shone with tears she refused to shed.

"I would have to disagree with you there Naruko-chan." Sarutobi said gently, "Iruka's parents died during the Day of the Kyūbi. He now sees you for who you are. Ichiraku Teuchi and Ayame have known the truth of what you contain for years, and they see you for who you are as well. As for me, I have never seen you as _anything other _than who you are."

Naruko scoffed softly. "Four people out of an entire village?"

"The longest journeys often begin with the smallest of steps." Sarutobi told the depressed kunoichi. "Keep persevering and I don't doubt that you will become the Hokage."

"Do…do you really believe I can do it, Ji-chan?" Naruko asked in a small voice, her eyes locked onto his own desperately.

"I hold no doubts." Sarutobi replied softly.

Naruko wiped at her eyes for a moment then gave him one of her trademark foxy grins. "Thanks Ji-chan." she said in a voice more like her own.

Sarutobi waved the thanks off. Privately, he was very relieved. By the looks of things, he had nipped that line of self-doubt in the bud _just_ in time. The last thing the girl needed was an existential crisis on top of the pressures of being a new genin.

"Now, to return to the seals…the seals are designed to allow you to draw upon the chakra of the Kyūbi and use it as your own." Sarutobi told Naruko solemnly.

"WHAT?" Naruko yelped, disgust on her face, "If I use _that_ chakra, the villagers will hate me even more!"

"Ah, well, there is no way for you to access the chakra at the moment." Sarutobi replied.

"Eh?" Naruko responded with a quizzical expression on her face, "But you just said-"

"At the moment, the seal is fully tightened." Sarutobi explained, "It only permits you to access the chakra of the demon fox when you truly believe your life to be in mortal danger."

"Oh…" Naruko seemed taken aback.

"Once I believe you have sufficient maturity and skills, I'll get Jiraya-kun to teach you how to harness the power of the fox." Sarutobi told her.

"I am skilled!" Naruko protested with a cute pout, "I learned the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!"

"Yes, an impressive feat, learning a B-Rank Kinjutsu in only two hours." Sarutobi acknowledged, "The ease with which you infiltrated the Hokage Tower was equally impressive. I must ask you to write down how you did it. If you do, I'll pay you for the successful completion of a B-Rank infiltration mission, in addition to your A-Rank Mission of Retrieving the Forbidden Scroll of Seals."

"Hell yeah!" Naruko cheered, "Two high ranking missions before I'm even out of the Academy! Beat that, Sasuke-teme!"

"On the other hand," Sarutobi continued, "You are neither able to perform the basic _**Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Jutsu) **_at all, nor can you use any genjutsu. Although the last is an unfortunate side affect of housing your tenant, the first is solvable."

"Eh? How? That damn jutsu was the bane of my life!" Naruko asked, her eyes boring into her grandfatherly figure.

'_This must have been what I looked like when I asked Minato-kun how he finished his paperwork so quickly._' Sarutobi chuckled to himself.

"Naruko-chan, please perform the _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_. If my suspicions are correct, I will be able to help you." He told the exited girl, who drooped slightly at the request.

"Please don't laugh OK, Ji-chan?" she mumbled as she ran through the seals for the basic clone jutsu taught at the academy.

"_**Bunshin no Jutsu**_!" she called as a puff of smoke appeared next to her, which revealed a sick and unhealthy looking clone of Naruko.

Sarutobi nodded. "Just as I thought."

"What? What is it-dattebayo?"

"You are suffering the same problem the rest of the Uzumaki Clan suffered from; your chakra is so dense and powerful that attempting E and D-Rank Jutsu is incredibly difficult." Sarutobi explained, "I would suggest you use the same amount of chakra, but try to make as many clones as possible with that chakra."

"OK! _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_!" Naruko called out again, this time filling the room with smoke. Once Sarutobi opened a window and dispersed the chakra smoke with an E-Rank Fūton jutsu, _**Fūton: Soyokaze (Wind-Style: Gentle Breeze)**_, the entire room was covered in Naruko clones.

'_Just like Kushina._' Sarutobi thought with a smile as Naruko started dancing in celebration of vanquishing her nemesis. Sarutobi then dispelled the illusory clones with a small chakra pulse.

"Naruko-chan, calm down please." Sarutobi called. Still grinning like a Cheshire cat, Naruko retook her seat.

"Now, that was an example of a little creative thinking in dealing with an obstacle." Sarutobi informed Naruko, "Regrettably, the next problem will be harder to fix."

Naruko's face fell slightly. "My Taijutsu." she whispered.

"Yes." Sarutobi told her bluntly. "I was watching the clearing last night when you took care of Mizuki. It was full of openings and incorrect stances. Who taught you your taijutsu?"

Naruko looked down and fiddled with the hem of her jacket. "Mizuki-teme." she replied quietly.

Sarutobi sighed. So, not only had Mizuki tricked and mentally tormented Naruko, he had tried ensure that she would be killed on her first C-Rank mission due to poor close combat skills.

Once again, Sarutobi made a note to have his two best interrogators _educate_ Mizuki in why you do _not_ piss off the Kami no Shinobi.

"Fortunately, I have decided that it is time for you to learn about your mother, Naruko-chan." Sarutobi told her, then braced for loud noises.

He wasn't disappointed there, as Naruko leapt to her feet and shrieked, "WHAT!" at the top of her voice. Given that her normal volume was just under a shout; her top volume was almost loud enough to be considered a high D-Rank Jutsu.

Wincing at the abuse his poor eardrums had just endured, Sarutobi attempted to calm Naruko down so he could explain everything to her.

Ten minutes later, Sarutobi finally managed to get her calm and sitting in her seat again.

"Now, this is your mothers file." Sarutobi gave the thin document into Naruko's trembling hands. She looked at it for a moment before taking a deep breath and opened it. She immediately noticed a very important fact about the file.

"This is a Shinobi Registration File!" Naruko exclaimed. She looked at the rank section. "Jonin? My mother was a Jonin?"

"Indeed." Sarutobi said. "Kushina was one of the few S-Rank Kunoichi this village has ever produced. She could give the Yondaime himself a hard time in a spar when he didn't use his _**Hiraishin no Jutsu (Flying Thunder God Jutsu)**_."

"Kushina." Naruko said, testing the unfamiliar name warily, "Uzumaki Kushina…my mother." A smile grew on her face as she looked at the picture in the file. A smiling woman with blood-red hair and deep blue eyes looked back at her.

A small section caught Naruko's eye.

Clan Status: _Yes. _

Village of Origin: _Uzushiogakure._

"I'm from a Clan?" Naruko asked, "Wait, Ji-chan, you mentioned that I had the same problems as the Uzumaki Clan had…"

"The Uzumaki were allies of Konoha for over fifty years." Sarutobi said, "They founded their own village on the Isle of Uzu not long after Konoha was founded and both villages prospered. The Shodaime Hokage, Senju Hashirama, even married an Uzumaki called Mito, who is your Great-Great Aunt I believe. All members of the Uzumaki Clan had immense stores of unusually dense chakra and had a lot of trouble with chakra control exercises as a result."

Naruko smiled at her similarity to her Clan, and then frowned. "You said 'had'. What happened?"

Sarutobi sighed. This was not going to be pretty.

"At the start of the Third Great Shinobi War, Kirigakure, Iwagakure and Kumogakure launched a surprise attack on Uzushiogakure. Only those who were not within Uzushiogakure during the attack survived. I'm sorry Naruko-chan." Sarutobi said softly.

Naruko's eyes dimmed. "My Clan…is gone? Wiped out?" She asked bleakly.

"I'm sorry to say so." Sarutobi confirmed. "However, the three attacking villages suffered horrendous casualties at the hands of the Uzumaki. Almost the entire village was related to the Uzumaki in some manner, so there were a lot of them. For every Uzumaki that fell, at least a dozen invaders fell at the same time. When the last sword was sheathed, a full three-quarters of the invading shinobi lay dead and dying among the ruins of Uzushiogakure. These casualties happened because Kiri, Iwa and Kumo gravely underestimated their foe and, in turn, these casualties, combined with the Yondaime Hokage's _**Hiraishin no Jutsu**_ allowed Konoha to emerge victorious."

"So, my Clan's sacrifice was one of the cause of Konoha's victory?" Naruko questioned. Sarutobi nodded. "Then why haven't we heard any of this in class? I know I'm no Sakura-chan, but I think I would have remembered mention of my own surname during a lesson, and I think my friends would have mentioned it as well."

Sarutobi smiled at her mention of friends. She had been friends with the Ino-Shika-Chō trio's children for years and was friendly with the Hyuuga Heiress as well.

He then frowned as the rest of what Naruko had said registered. What she said was true. He distinctly remembered adding the history of Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan to the syllabus personally after the end of the War that had all but destroyed the once proud Clan.

"That…is an _excellent_ question Naruko-chan. I'll look into it." Sarutobi said slowly, "Anyway, the shinobi forces certainly remember the Uzumaki Clan. We wear the Clan Symbol as a mark of friendship and remembrance. The Shodaime integrated the symbol into the Konoha Leaf symbol so that the Uzumaki would be impossible to forget."

Naruko grabbed the Uzumaki spiral that hung from her shoulder and held on to it tightly. After a moment, she whispered, "Arigato, Ji-chan."

"The Uzumaki deserve all I have done for them and more." Sarutobi said sincerely, "The reason I bring your family up is because they have their own taijutsu style. Not to mention their own kenjutsu style and Clan jutsu. I had originally intended to wait until you were a Chunin to even tell you about your mother's family, but with what happened with Mizuki, I decided that you deserve to inherit this early."

The young kunoichi's eyes were swimming with tears. "I…thank you, Ji-chan." she rasped.

Sarutobi smiled gently as he got up and walked to a part of the wall that looked no different from the rest. His hands blurred as he hit sixteen points in a specific order in under ten seconds, causing a section of the wall to fall down, revealing a safe door. Placing his hand on the door, Sarutobi sent a pulse of his chakra through it. A series of clicks, clanks and whirring sounds came from within the door, which popped open.

Naruko craned her neck to see into the safe. The only things in the safe were three boxes. One Red, one Yellow and one Orange. They were about half the length of the Forbidden Scroll. Sarutobi took the red and orange boxes out before closing the safe again.

Sarutobi handed Naruko the boxes. After attempting to juggle them for a minute, Naruko made a pair of Shadow Clones to hold them.

"Don't open them until you're in your apartment." Sarutobi warned Naruko, who nodded. She knew that Clan Styles and Jutsu were protected by law, but most Ninja operated under the rule 'finder's keepers.'

[BOOM!]

A massive explosion bloomed in the village, causing a startled Naruko to shield the Hokage and draw a kunai by instinct. After a moment, Naruko lowered her guard when no further explosions came.

"ANBU!" Sarutobi called, prompting his four bodyguards to apparently teleport into the room. "Find out what and where that explosion was. Go!"

The ANBU vanished in puffs of smoke.

"I have got to learn how to do that." Naruko muttered to herself as she sheathed the kunai she had drawn.

"Catch." Sarutobi said and tossed Naruko a standard sized scroll. "That has the basics of the _**Shunshin no Jutsu (Body Flicker Jutsu)**_ on it. A reward for your quick reflexes."

"YES!" Naruko cheered. She quickly deposited the scroll in one of her jackets many pockets. She jumped slightly as another ANBU appeared in a swirl of leaves.

"Inu (Dog)." The Hokage greeted the ANBU with a terse nod.

"Hokage-sama. The explosion originated at the building that Uzumaki-san used to live in. It is now merely rubble, with minor damage to the surrounding buildings and a few minor injuries to passing civilians." Inu reported briskly.

"No…my home…" Naruko said hollowly, falling to her knees at the revelation that her home of seven years was gone.

Sarutobi dismissed Inu and knelt next to Naruko. "Don't worry Naruko-chan. None of your stuff was in the house when it exploded."

"Huh?" Naruko looked at the Hokage blankly.

"After you left this morning, ANBU operatives removed all of your possessions from the apartment and took it to your new residence." Sarutobi explained.

"New…Huh?" Naruko said her expression puzzled.

"When you defeated Mizuki, you defeated the last of the small, and relatively unknown, Toji Clan." Sarutobi explained, "That alone would have won you all of his ninja gear. Add in the fact he was about to become a nuke-nin after stealing the Scroll of Seals, and you won all he owned -including his house and any shares in businesses he had. It is your right as the member of a Clan to take possession of all he once owned."

"I…won his house?" Naruko said disbelievingly.

"Indeed. I… {AHEM}…acted in advance of your knowledge of the laws because I thought it would make a nice graduation present." Sarutobi's face twisted sourly, "Now it's far more a _necessity_ than anything else -meaning I still owe you a graduation present."

Thinking for a minute, Sarutobi's face brightened. "Aha! I know what to give you!" Sarutobi stood, made five handsigns, drew some blood then slammed his hand on the floor.

"_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu-**_ _**Saru Tan'ya: Enki! (Summoning Jutsu- Monkey Blacksmith: Enki!)**_" He shouted.

A plume of chakra smoke appeared where the Hokage slammed his hand and cleared to reveal a white and brown monkey about Naruko's height, wearing a leather apron, gloves and an eye patch over his left eye. His upper body was bulging with muscles and had a no-nonsense air about him.

"Sarutobi? Why have you summoned me?" the monkey asked in a rasping voice.

"Enki. I would like the gauntlet if you please." Sarutobi said politely.

The monkey made an odd sound that Naruko thought might be a laugh. "Why do you need that old thing?" he asked the Hokage, "It rejected you."

"For Naruko-chan." The Hokage replied, indicating Naruko with a small gesture, "She just graduated from the Academy and I thought it would make an excellent gift."

Enki looked Naruko up and down and snorted dismissively. "I doubt she has the reserves to even put the thing on, let alone use it."

"Oi!" Naruko said, a tick mark appearing on her head, "I have so much chakra that I have to make hundreds of regular _**Bunshins **_in order for the damn jutsu to work. Whatever it is you're talking about, I can handle it-dattebayo!"

The monkey raised his only visible eyebrow at the anger Naruko put in her voice. "You really shouldn't say that until you know what you're talking about, Kozō (Brat). The item Sarutobi wishes to give you doesn't work for people who do not have the right skills, chakra and mindset. It is my best creation, only one person in the last thirty years has worn the damn thing, and she _died _using it. Since then, no-one has been able to even put it on, even Sarutobi here."

"I won't die until I become Hokage." Naruko said stubbornly, "So _bring it on_, Enki-san."

Enki studied her for a moment before nodding. "OK, Kozō. But don't say I didn't warn ya." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Now we wait." Sarutobi told Naruko. He sat back down at his desk and fought his enemy once again while he waited. Naruko dispelled her clones as she now had to wait here for a while but still threw longing glances at the boxes that held her heritage.

A puff of smoke signalled Enki's return. He was holding a box that was just over a foot long and half that wide. He placed it on the floor before him reverently and motioned Naruko to sit opposite him.

"I swore twenty years ago that no-one beneath the rank of Jonin would ever even try to wear this gauntlet again." Enki said solemnly, "Now, I find myself breaking my word to myself."

Enki removed the lid slowly to reveal one of the most beautiful things Naruko had ever seen. It was a gauntlet, similar to a samurai's, but far more ornamented. Made from finely wrought steel, it was covered infighting monkeys, with a snarling monkey head over the part that protected the back of the hand. Just behind where the wrist was, the armour was bronze and seemed to be able to rotate.

"Behold." Enki whispered hoarsely, "En'ō Kago-te (The Gauntlet of the Monkey King)."

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**Next Chapter: Team Assignment**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

(Any Jutsu with the name emboldened is one I made up)

Oiroke no Jutsu - Sexy Jutsu.

Rank: E

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _A variation on the Henge no Jutsu, this transforms the user into a gorgeous naked woman. Placed in the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing by Sarutobi Hiruzen after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of Academy Student Uzumaki Naruko._

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Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shadow Clone Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Supplementary/Kinjutsu_

Effect: _Creates a physical clone made of chakra in the user's image. Very Chakra intensive. Not recommended to be used by those under the rank of Jonin._

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Bunshin no Jutsu - Clone Jutsu

Rank: E

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _Creates one or more illusory, insubstantial clones. A basic jutsu rarely used by most ninja outside of the Academy._

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**Fūton: Soyokaze - Wind Style: Gentle Breeze**

Rank: E

Type: _Supplementary (Training)_

Effect: _Manipulates the air up to three meters away and directs it to where the used wishes. A training jutsu that is used in Sunagakure for wind users._

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Shunshin no Jutsu - Body Flicker Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _a high-speed movement technique used mostly by ninja of chunin rank or above due to the chakra control necessary. Usually unsuited for combat due to the ease of tracking the direction the user moves in._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Kuchiyose no Jutsu -Summoning Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _Using blood and chakra as a sacrifice, the Summoner calls forth an animal that s/he has made a pact with the species. Rare and powerful, summoning contracts are required to use this jutsu._


	2. Team Assignments

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I just use what is there to write in the universe.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 2: Team Assignments**

_The Next Day_

_Council Chamber, Hokage Tower_

Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose wearily. Kami, these council meetings gave him more headaches that Naruko's pranks!

"For the last time, Uzumaki Naruko's graduation is permitted as a special exemption due to her mastering a B-Rank kinjutsu, stopping a traitor from fleeing with the Scroll of Seals and saving the life of her teacher from the traitor!" he shouted at the group of people seated to his left, the civilian part of the council.

"But Hokage-sama, she's a demon!" a rather stupid councilman protested. The rest of the civilian council fell silent and edged away from the idiotic man. They all knew what was going to happen now.

Sarutobi glared at the man and unleashed his KI, making his target cower away from him and lose control of his bladder.

"As _everyone_ in this room is aware of Naruko's status as a Jinchūriki, I cannot have you executed." Sarutobi spoke in an angry whisper that echoed in the now-silent room, "However, if you ever _dare_ refer to Naruko as a demon _ever_ again in my presence, you shall join Mizuki in ANBU T&amp;I's custody and suffer everything he has gone through at the hands of Mitarashi Anko and Morino Ibiki. AM I UNDERSTOOD?!"

"H-Hai…Hokage-sama…." The now terrified man quavered.

"Good." Sarutobi said in a more normal tone of voice. "You are excused from the council today as I believe you need to get a change of undergarments, among other things."

The man glowed red with humiliation, but got up and squelched his way out of the council chamber. Sarutobi sighed and glanced around.

"Does anyone _else_ have a point to bring up about Naruko's graduation before we move onto the next topic?" he asked.

"I do." said a man wearing black clothes and bandages and had his arm in a sling. Sarutobi sighed. He should have known.

"No, Danzō. I will not let you turn Naruko into an emotionless killing machine." He told his old teammate.

"It would be for the best, Hiruzen." Danzō insisted. "Give her to me, and I shall forge from her a weapon of unparalleled strength to protect Konoha."

"I said _no_, Danzō. Do _not_ push your luck." Sarutobi warned him, "Naruko is already absolutely loyal to Konoha and I will not allow you to destroy her emotions just because you feel they get in the way. Now _drop it_."

"Very well Hiruzen, but I warn you that you _will_ regret not taking my advice. She will go out of control and you will wish that you had listened to me." Danzō said genially.

Sarutobi gave his old friend a hard look before asking once again if anyone had anything further to add about Naruko before moving on tot the next item on the agenda.

"No-one? Good. The next item is the proposal I made in which the new genin teams, once they have been passed by their Jonin-sensei of course, will be moved into the same apartment and learn to live together. Opinions?"

"What's the point?" asked a civilian, "I mean, why bother to move them out of their parents homes when they're only twelve?"

Sarutobi was surprised at such a stupid question, then he remembered this _was_ a civilian he was talking to.

"Firstly, although newly graduated genin are only twelve or thirteen, once they receive their hitai-ate, they are considered adults in the eyes of the village as you should be _well_ aware, Satoshi-san." Sarutobi said looking pointedly at the man who had asked the question.

"Secondly, I believe that it should help improve teamwork. Living together and working together should help the teams bond more quickly and thus raise the speed of their on-the-job efficiency. Third, having to pay for utilities out of their mission pay and standard genin pay will teach them a sense of responsibility and maturity that will be needed on C-Rank and above missions, not to mention the Chunin Selection Exams." Sarutobi finished his explanation and looked around to see the council's reaction.

The Ninja side was nodding approvingly. Except Nara Shikaku, but that was just because he was asleep as always. The advisors, Koharu and Homura, were also nodding in approval. Danzō looked Sarutobi in the eye and shrugged indifferently. The civilian side was having a whispered debate that seemed to be leaning towards accepting the proposal.

"Does the council feel that a decision can be reached today?" Sarutobi enquired. Seeing a majority of them agree, the aged Hokage said, "Very well. All those in favour of the proposal, raise your hands."

The vast majority of the room raise their hands, drawing dirty looks from a couple of civilians.

"All those against?" A small group of stubborn civilians raised their hands.

"The proposal is accepted by the majority." Sarutobi declared, "Starting with this graduating class, the Genin Housing Act is in force."

The meeting continued after that, with nothing of interest coming up. After it ended, Sarutobi was surprised to see the Ino-Shika-Chō, Hyūga Hiashi as well as Councilwoman Haruno in his office.

"This is an unsurprising gathering that I should have anticipated." Sarutobi mused aloud, "Might I assume your children have something to do with it?"

"Ino was very…_insistent_ on finding out what happened to Naruko." Yamanaka Inoichi said dryly.

"My troublesome son set my wife on me when I said it was too troublesome to find out." Shikaku groused.

"Chōji was wondering why Naruko never showed up to their weekly Ramen eating contest." Akimichi Chōza said.

"My daughter heard about Naruko-chan's house being blown up and was concerned." Haruno Megumi added.

"My eldest was so worried about Naruko that she forgot to hold back against Hanabi and defeated her soundly." Hiashi said, a hint of pride in his voice.

Sarutobi sealed the room with a couple of well-placed seals. Before speaking. "What is said here is to be kept absolutely confidential. Understood?" he said firmly looking at each person and getting a nod.

"Naruko's apartment building was destroyed by a large number of explosive tags placed at key structural locations to ensure both the collapse of the building and the death of anyone in the top floor…"

"…Where Naruko's apartment was located." Shikaku finished in a drawling tone. "Troublesome. So that means that at least one shinobi is in on it."

"The ANBU who investigated the scene reported that an estimate of at least 500 Explosive Tags were used to destroy the building, far more than was needed considering it was teetering on the verge of being condemned due to lack of necessary maintenance. A hundred would have been _more_ than enough." Sarutobi added.

"That…is a _lot_ of explosive tags." Inoichi remarked, "I don't think that Konoha has had that many tags in reserve since the death of the Yondaime."

"We don't." the Sandaime stated. "We have barely 150 tags in reserve, and only about thirty are made a month from an old man who is of only passable skill. From the remains of a few of the tags, we have determined that only a few were his work, with the rest being either the Yondaime's work or fairly amateurish homemade attempts. I have also looked had the reserves checked and they are untouched. Therefore, I then turned to the only shop in Konoha that sells them. According to their records, ANBU buys ten a month, with various Jonin and Chunin buying most of the others. Interestingly enough, one person has bought about five to seven a month since the stores the Yondaime made were emptied, in addition to purchasing fifty a month from the Yondaime's stores since the Yondaime's death."

"Who was it?" Megumi asked.

"Yamanaka Haruo." The Sandaime said. Inoichi looked sick.

"That…is unsurprising." Inoichi said faintly, "his mother was the only Yamanaka to die on the Day of the Kyūbi."

"Yes, although strangely enough, he has not been seen near Naruko-chan's building at all in the past seven years since she moved there." Sarutobi said with a frown, "This leads me to conclude he had accomplices. I have assigned a pair of ANBU to shadow him, as well as questioning Naruko's ANBU watchers to list everyone who entered Naruko's old home and how frequently. It did not take a single hour to set those tags and I _will_ find out who did it."

"Speaking of Naruko, where is she?" Chōza asked.

Sarutobi smirked. "Oh, she's getting settled into her new house."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_Same Time_

_The Former Toji Clan Home, Clan Residential District_

"Sheesh, this place is cool and everything, but it's _filthy_!" Naruko muttered as she scrubbed the wooden floor with a cloth. She generally wasn't a neat freak, but according what to her Ji-chan had told her when he brought her here last night, the Toji Clan had been reduced to a single family during the Third Great War, who had then moved into the main Ninja residential District.

_Mizuki-teme_ had been the only one to survive the Kyūbi's attack on Konoha and _he_ had lived in the Academy barracks, so the place hadn't been lived in for at least twenty years and was in desperate need of a good clean.

"ARRRGGHH!" Naruko threw the cloth down in frustration. "I've been at this for over five hours and barely scratched the surface! I haven't even had a chance to look at my family's scrolls! I need help!"

Suddenly an idea popped into her head and she made the Clone Handsign. "_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" she called and summoned thirty exact copies of herself.

"Alright Ladies!" Naruko said putting her hands on her hips, "We have a house to clean and it isn't going to clean itself. Split up and clean this place until it goes *ping*! Start in the living quarters and work your way to the rest of the compound!"

"Yes ma'am!" her doppelgangers chorused before splitting up and spreading throughout the house. Naruko grinned to herself. This jutsu was sooo useful.

That thought actually stopped her for a moment. '_Come to think of it, this Jutsu was in the Forbidden Scroll of Seals. There should be a reason for that. I'll ask Ji-chan when he comes to visit this afternoon._'

Shaking her head slightly, Naruko wandered into the living room that she had cleaned over an hour ago and sat down on the sofa with a sigh. A metallic clinking noise drew her attention to the gauntlet she now wore on her right arm.

Raising her arm, she admired the way the light shone on the metal as she remembered what had happened in the Hokage's office the previous day.

_{Flashback}_

"_En'ō Kago-te?" Naruko breathed, entranced by the beautiful gauntlet._

"_Yes." Enki said solemnly, "As I said, my finest work. I am one of the two Master Blacksmiths of the Monkey Clan. I forge armour, my counterpart forges weapons. I created this gauntlet for King Enma, the Monkey King, as a tithe of sorts."_

"_Tithe?" Naruko asked, baffled._

"_Something similar to a tax." Sarutobi simplified for her._

"_Indeed." Enki agreed, "However, King Enma couldn't wear it, as it required far too much chakra for him to do so."_

"_Enma is my personal summon, Naruko-chan." Sarutobi explained, seeing her incomprehension, "He is the Boss Summon of the Monkey Clan, therefore the most powerful of them all."_

_Naruko's eyes widened. "Someone on the same level as Yondaime-sama's summon Gamabunta wasn't able to wear this gauntlet?" she asked in awe._

_Enki snorted. "Enma-sama is _far_ older and more experienced than Gamabunta. He whipped all the summons of the Sannin, Gamabunta, Katsuya and Manda, at the same time during a sparring session."_

_Naruko's eyes widened further. Sarutobi grinned. "Let's bring him here so we can see his reaction when Naruko-chan here does what he could not." Enki recoiled, but nodded in acquiescence._

_Sarutobi weaved the summoning jutsu's handsigns again. "__**Kuchiyose: **__**Enkōō: Enma! (Summoning: Monkey King: Enma!)**__"_

_In a puff of smoke, a man-sized monkey wearing a tiger skin kimono, a black shinobi suit and a Konoha Hitai-ate. He had white fur all over his body and had a long goatee and sideburns._

"**Hiruzen? Why have you summoned me when there is no battle or training to be done?"**_ Enma asked after looking around for a moment._

"_Enma." Sarutobi greeted his summon genially, "I brought you here to see an end to our little wager." he gestured to the open box and the gaping Naruko._

"**That thing?"** _Enma snorted, _**"There is no way that she can wear it, even is she ****does**** have the Kyūbi sealed inside her."**

_Naruko recoiled. "How…?"_

"_Enma and I arrived just as the Yondaime sealed the fox into you." Sarutobi replied, "Don't worry. Enma is very knowledgeable about the Ninja Arts, and beasts of similar power to the Kyūbi have been sealed away before."_

"**Those villagers still don't know the difference between a scroll and the kunai that's sealed in it?"**_ Enma asked. At a single nod from Sarutobi, Enma snorted again and muttered something under his breath before turning to Naruko._

"**Kid, I have nothing against you. You were barely an hour old when the damn fox was sealed into you and the Yondaime would not have picked you if he did not think you could handle it. Ignore the villagers and trust what Sarutobi here says. He knows you, they don't." **_Enma told the girl bluntly._

"_A-arigato, Enma-sama." Naruko said softly. Then she cocked her head to the side and looked at Enma for a moment._

"_I could swear that I've seen you before, Enma-sama, but I can't think where." she confessed with a small frown._

"**Heh. Remember me? Hardly surprising."**_ Enma chuckled, _**"Hiruzen summoned me to guard you when you were still a baby and he had to go off to a council meeting. Some idiot chunin tried to kill you and I took care of him. I would guard you when Hiruzen here was out of the village, discreetly, right up until you were about five. You probably caught glimpses of me and that's why you recognise me a bit."**

_Naruko bowed at Enma. "Thank you for guarding me, Enma-sama."_

"**Just doing my job, kid. Besides, those who attack younglings are scum and need to be removed from the world. Remember this."** _Enma replied._

"_Hai." Naruko nodded. Enki, who had been silent until now, cleared his throat._

"_Ahem. Naruko-san, if you still wish to attempt this, please say so." He said in a formal tone that sounded weird in his rasping voice._

_Taking her cue from him, Naruko straightened slightly and said, "I wish to proceed."_

_Enki nodded and tapped the __En'ō Kago-te in three different places: the rearmost plate, the section that seemed to be able to revolve and the snarling ape's mouth. Where he touched, small holes opened up._

"_Now, take a kunai and put a drop of blood into each hole." Enki directed. Shrugging, Naruko did so. As she dripped a drop into each hole, it closed up. Once the last hole was closed, the gauntlet began to glow a faint blue._

"_What's happening?" Naruko asked._

"**The gauntlet is judging your worthiness."** _Enma replied, _**"I made it past this stage, but failed the next one."**

"_How can you tell that it accepts you?" the blond kunoichi asked._

_[Snick!]_

_Everyone looked at the gauntlet as the lower half snapped open._

"_It does that." Enki replied in perfect deadpan, gesturing at the gauntlet, "Now you must simply put it on."_

"_What'll it do then?" Naruko asked warily, not forgetting that this gauntlet had killed someone who was unworthy to wield it._

"_Drain you of your chakra." Enki stated bluntly, "You see, the __En'ō Kago-te is technically an incomplete device at the moment. Until someone gives it sufficient chakra in a single sitting, it will never be complete."_

"_Why a single sitting?" Sarutobi asked._

"_That's how it turned out." Enki replied, "I have since adjusted my methods to ensure this doesn't happen, but none since have had the potential that this one has."_

_Naruko took a breath, released it then picked up the gauntlet._

"_Make sure you put it on your dominant arm." Enki warned._

_Nodding, Naruko carefully fitted the __En'ō Kago-te to her right arm._

_[Snick!]_

_The gauntlet closed around her arm and glowed red, then green, then a deep blue._

"_Is it…shrinking?" Sarutobi asked curiously. The gauntlet was indeed shrinking to the right size for Naruko's arm._

"**It did the same for me."** _Enma noted, _**"Naruko, when you feel a sudden drain of your chakra, make the Ram Handsign and move chakra into your right arm. Not a lot, just maintain a slow, steady stream."**

"_Right." Naruko nodded. A minute passed then Naruko stiffened and then made the Ram handsign._

"_D-Damn…this is more chakra…than I've ever used before!" Naruko grunted, sweat beading her brow with the effort._

_Abruptly, an ANBU appeared in the room, a hand on his ninjatō._

"_Hokage-sama, I detected an immense build-up of chakra here…" he said._

"_It is of no importance." Sarutobi told the ANBU, "Everything is under control. Return to your post."_

_The ANBU vanished in a swirl of leaves._

"_How long…do I have to maintain this…for?" Naruko asked, returning everyone's attention to the struggling kunoichi._

"_The process should be complete when the monkey engravings on the sides all turn from chakra metal to adamantine." Enki replied._

_Looking at the gauntlet closely, the watchers could see that the first two monkeys had changed from the bright shiny grey of the steel-like chakra metal to a hard matt-black metal._

"_So…two down, ten to go?" Naruko asked, getting a nod in return._

_Over the next half hour, nine of the ten remaining monkeys turned to adamantine._

"**Impressive."** _Enma noted, _**"I was only able to get to seven and a half."**

"_T-This last o-one…is more draining than the…others." Naruko gasped out, "It's…almost like it's fighting me."_

_Enki frowned, then realisation lit his face. "Naruko, it's the chakra of the others who have attempted to wear __En'ō Kago-te, it's fighting you. If you fully claim possession of it, the chakra of those who came before you will cease to be."_

"_EH!" Naruko looked at him, startled. "But…what about the person who died with this thing on? W-what if it's a g-ghost?"_

_Sweatdrops appeared on every person (or ape) watching the kunoichi._

"_Naruko, we've been over this before." Sarutobi said patiently, "There are no such things as ghosts. What is fighting against you now is just chakra. Increase the rate of flow to your arm and it should be over soon."_

"_R-right." Naruko focussed again and the watching shinobi and blacksmith could feel the flow of chakra become more rapid and so slowly, surely but relentlessly, the last monkey turned into adamantine._

_A long, drawn out monkey howl emerged from the gauntlet as it began glowing a bright and vibrant blue that increased in intensity until no one could look at it._

_Then suddenly, the light was gone and the occupants of the room could see once more. Naruko looked at the __En'ō Kago-te and saw that the snarling face on the front was also adamantine._

"_You…you actually did it." Enki said, disbelief plain on his face, "The last person who wore that was an experienced jonin and yet you managed to-"_

"_Who was she anyway, the last person to wear this gauntlet?" Naruko asked, tapping the gauntlet with a finger._

"_Her name was Sarutobi Miwa." the Sandaime said softly, "She was a remarkable young woman, with considerable promise as a kunoichi."_

"_I'll remember her." Naruko promised. Sarutobi chuckled softly as he caught sight of one part of the gauntlet._

"_By the looks of things, whoever receives the __En'ō Kago-te after you will know you as well."_

_Naruko sent a questioning look at Sarutobi, who pointed at the underside of the gauntlet. When Naruko looked, there were two sets of kanji engraved along the length of the gauntlet. One was _**炎鬼**_(Enki), the other was _**うずまき****ナル****子 **_(Uzumaki Naruko)._

"**Not entirely unexpected."**_ Enma said with an amused look on his face at Naruko's stunned disbelief, _**" You did help create it after all."**

"_But-" Naruko tried to protest, but was interrupted by Enki._

"_Kozō__, I may have forged the thing, but it was your chakra that gave life to it." Enki held out a hand, "Nice working with you."_

_Naruko shook hands on automatic, still stunned at having her name on an artefact that took so much of her chakra._

"_Man, I am exhausted." She commented as she let go of Enki's hand and sat down, visibly tired._

"_Naruko-chan, exactly how much chakra did you use?" Sarutobi asked curiously._

_The blond kunoichi shrugged. "Dunno. A lot of it, I guess. Never felt chakra exhaustion, but from what I remember Iruka-sensei saying about how it feels, I've come pretty close to it just now."_

_Sarutobi raised an eyebrow at this. Naruko had far more chakra than he himself did and she had come close to chakra exhaustion?_

_Naruko turned to Enki. "So, what the heck can this thing do anyway? If it needed so much chakra, it must do some cool stuff."_

"_That can wait until tomorrow, Naruko-chan. We have to go about finding a place for you to sleep tonight." Sarutobi interjected._

"_Sounds fair to me." Enki said gruffly. "This girl needs to lie down before she falls down. Same time tomorrow, Sarutobi?"_

"_Three days from now." Sarutobi corrected him. "Naruko will be recuperating and getting her team assignment tomorrow and the real genin test the day afterwards."_

_Enma nodded._ **"Summon me as well Hiruzen. I have a part to play in this too."**

_After Sarutobi agreed, the two summons bade Naruko farewell and disappeared back to their realm in two puffs of smoke._

_{Flashback End}_

Naruko was jolted out of her thoughts by the sensation of one of her clones dispersing.

"Ji-chan's early." she muttered as she got up to meet her Kage.

"Ah, Naruko-chan." Sarutobi called as he walked down the now pristine hallway, "I believe I told you last night to take it easy."

Naruko scratched the back of her head nervously. "I am Ji-chan! I only made thirty clones!"

''_Only thirty' she says. In my prime, I could make that many…before passing out!_' Sarutobi thought wryly.

"Fair enough." he allowed, "Anyway, it's almost time for team assignments, so get cleaned up."

"Damn!" Naruko yelped as she ran off.

Sarutobi chuckled. "Ah, to be that energetic again…"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_A Short While Later_

_Naruko's Classroom, Konoha Ninja Academy_

"Ino-pig, get away from Sasuke-kun!" shouted a pink-haired girl wearing a red battle-dress.

"Tch. You first Forehead-girl!" replied a platinum blond wearing a purple top and skirt, bandages and cream arm-warmers.

The two girls were standing next to an empty seat that was in turn next to a raven-haired boy with onyx eyes wearing a blue top, white shorts and cream arm-warmers. The boy currently had a large tick mark on his forehead at the noise the two squabbling girls were making so near his ears.

"Don't those two ever get tired of that?" asked a rotund boy as he opened a bag of potato snacks. His companion, a pineapple-haired boy who had his head on the desk, turned his head slightly to look at his friend.

"Women are too troublesome for words, Chōji." he replied.

At the back of the room, a blue haired girl in a bulky white coat looked at an empty seat with a tinge of sadness in her lavender eyes.

'_Naruko-chan…_' she thought sadly.

Nearby, a boy with brown hair and wearing a large olive-green coat sat silently ignoring his classmates.

In the front row, a boy with facial tattoos resembling fangs and wearing a grey coat with a hood was playing with a small white puppy.

It was into this chaos that Iruka walked as he entered the room. Walking slowly, he made his way to the teacher's podium, he noted all of this classes usual idiosyncratic oddities with a small sigh.

Flipping through three handsigns, he used his _**Ninpō: Onigashira no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Demon Head Jutsu)**_ to make his head seemingly swell up to three times its normal size and increase his voice volume by a large amount as well.

"SIT DOWN NOW!" he roared, causing the entire class to come to order at last.

Wincing slightly from the pain coming from the wound Mizuki gave him, Iruka looked at the class and was about to speak when the door slammed open.

"Sorry I'm late!" Naruko yelled as she barrelled into the classroom.

"Ah, Naruko." Iruka said with a smile. "Settling in ok?"

"Yeah, but the place is filthy. I've got a lot of work to do when I get back." Naruko grumbled.

"Oi, dobe! Why are you here, this is a _graduates only _class!" The boy with the puppy jeered.

"Use your eyes for a change Kiba." Naruko snapped back and pointed at the hitai-ate on her forehead, "Ji-chan will explain everything when he gets here."

"Alright Naruko, take your seat." Iruka told her. She grinned at him and walked over to her usual seat.

Iruka then launched into a speech about how proud he was of them and the expectations that now befell them as ninja. Naruko sighed and crossed her legs, bored by this.

Once Iruka-sensei finished his speech, the Third Hokage entered and looked at them sternly.

"I'm certain that some of you are wondering why Toji Mizuki is not here." He said gravely, "I'm afraid Mizuki is under arrest for the attempted theft of the Forbidden Scroll of Seals, Assault on a fellow Konoha Shinobi and breaking an S-Rank law."

A flurry of whispers erupt from the new genin, barring the Uchiha and the Aburame. Sarutobi waited for the noise to die down before speaking again.

"As a result of the confrontation, Uzumaki Naruko was give a special dispensation to be given the rank of genin. I ask that you do not pressure her for details as she is still somewhat exhausted from the confrontation."

"Ji-chan!" Naruko yelps in protest.

"It's true, Naruko." Sarutobi told her firmly, "In fact, once you've met with your Jonin-sensei, I want you to go straight home, alright?"

"Hai, Ji-chan." Naruko said, giving in to her grandfather-figure's demand.

"Good." Sarutobi nodded firmly. Turning his attention back to the rest of the genin, the Hokage unfurled a scroll and began reading out the teams. Naruko ignored teams one through six because they were all civilian-born genin, including that bitch Ami, who had made Naruko's life miserable when she was younger.

"…Team Seven shall be comprised of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Inuzuka Kiba, with Hatake Kakashi as the Jonin-sensei." Sarutobi announced.

"**Shannaro! **Eat that Ino-pig! True love conquers all!" Sakura yelled in victory.

"Why am I with the broody Emo and the pink banshee?" yelled Kiba.

"…Hn." Sasuke grunted dismissively.

"Team Eight shall be comprised of Yamanaka Ino, Uzumaki Naruko and Hyuuga Hinata, with Yūhi Kurenai as the Jonin-sensei." The Hokage continued, ignoring the two loud outbursts.

"Well I suppose it could be worse." Ino muttered.

{THUNK} Hinata fainted with joy.

"Nice!" Naruko grinned.

"Team Nine is still in circulation from last year….Team Ten shall be comprised of Aburame Shino, Akamichi Chōji and Nara Shikamaru, with Sarutobi Asuma as the Jonin-sensei." Sarutobi finished and tucked the scroll away in his robe.

"….Troublesome." muttered Shikamaru.

"…" Shino merely remained silent.

" *Munch-much* At least Shika's with me." Chōji said as he feasted on his snacks.

"After lunch, your Jonin-sensei will pick you up. Except Team Seven's sensei, he will be three hours late." Sarutobi told them.

"Why?" asked Sakura, curiously.

"Because he feels like it." was the blunt response, causing Team Seven to sweatdrop.

Sarutobi coughed slightly. "Anyway, we will now break for lunch. Make sure not to be late for your meeting with your Jonin-sensei." With that, the Hokage disappeared in a puff of smoke.

As the majority of the students made their way out of the classroom, Hinata finally woke up.

"A-Ano…What happened?" she asked Ino who had walked over to her.

"You found out Naruko-chan was on your team and passed out." Ino replied as she helped her new teammate to her feet.

"Ino-chan! Hinata-chan!" Naruko called from the door, "Let's go to Ichiraku's for lunch! My treat!"

"Coming!" Ino called.

Running to catch up with Naruko, Ino and Hinata missed the blond haired man glaring at them from outside the window.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Genin Test Invaded!**

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Jutsu Lexicon**

Ninpō: Onigashira no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Demon Head Jutsu)

Rank: High D

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect:_ A combination of a variation of the Henge no Jutsu and a chakra-amplified voice, this jutsu was created to deal with rowdy students at the Ninja Academy by Umino Iruka._


	3. Genin Test Invaded

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, because I am not Kishimoto.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 3: Genin Test Invaded**

**Streets of Konoha**

Yamanaka Haruo glared at the demon bitch as she led his Clan's Heiress as well as the Hyuuga Heiress down the street. How had she survived the blast that had levelled her building? Was she immortal or something? He was careful to keep out of sight and far enough back that the Hyuuga girl could not see him even if she activated her Kekkei Genkai as he leapt across the roofs as he followed his quarry.

He had been thirteen when the Kyuubi had attacked. He had been off duty and spending time with his mother, Hanako, when the immense beast had broken through the outer wall and started laying waste to the village. His mother had used the family jutsu, _**Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind-Body Switch Jutsu)**_, on the beast and had had her mind shredded into nothing by the beast. Her body had not lasted a day after the death of her mind.

When Haruo had heard that the fox was sealed in a baby, he knew that the child's mind had been lost to the fox's own powerful mind. After all, seal or no seal, if a _Yamanaka_, who _specialised_ in mental assaults and defence, could not withstand the demon, what chance could a mere child have? Therefore, he had prepared to slay the demon, as he felt the Yondaime had intended to happen and in the name of vengeance for his mother.

A number of attempts were made to kill the demon by Haruo using his _**Shintenshin no Jutsu **_on__Clanless shinobi in the weeks following the Day of The Kyuubi. All of them were ones who had lost loved ones in the attack and were mad with grief and rage at the Kyuubi. Because of that fact, they were not scanned by his own clan when the ANBU caught them. When the Third Hokage placed the demon in the orphanage, he was always under the constant guard of ANBU. Haruo realised that now was not the time and had bided his time gathering the tools for the plan he had laid out.

When the Orphanage had thrown the demon out for the last time, the Third had arranged an apartment for it, which had prompted everyone else in the building, including the owner, to abandon it like rats from a sinking ship.

Exactly as Haruo had anticipated.

He had gathered a group of like-minded individuals and enacted his plan. In ones and twos, they had infiltrated the building and placed exploding tags in key areas of the structure so that, when detonated, the demon would die, either from being crushed to death or from the initial blasts.

It had not been quick or easy to do. A 'friend' of his was a Hyuuga who was an amateur Seal Master. He had made a fair number of the tags. Unfortunately, only one tag in five actually worked, so they had to use far more than was actually needed, just to be on the safe side. In addition, ANBU watched the demons building like hawks, so they couldn't be seen near the building too often. It had taken seven years between Clan obligations, missions, Chuunin Exams and Jonin Exams to reach the point that the building could be destroyed and kill the demon.

He had detonated the tags the day after the Genin Exam, thinking that the demon would still be in its home, moping after being failed again. He had then gone out for a drink to celebrate, only to see the damn demon bitch walking beside the Third Hokage towards the Clan Residential district. Not only that, but she wore a hitai-ate.

He couldn't understand it. How? How had the conniving demon escaped the trap he had worked so hard on for seven years? How had she actually managed to graduate? He was utterly confused. Not to mention angry.

Fine then. If he couldn't kill her subtly, he'd just gut her in person. He had been a Jonin for over two years and could easily handle Kurenai, who had only been promoted a couple of months ago. The two Heiresses were not even a speed bump to Haruo's mind.

Haruo was so focussed on his plan that he failed to notice a masked figure following behind him.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Team 8**

Naruko was smiling happily, as she walked into Ichiraku's with her team. She was surprised that she was lucky enough to get on a team with two of her friends. She couldn't think how she could have coped with either Kiba or Ami on her team, and don't even get her started on Sasuke the Emo Prince!

"Ossan, Ayame-nee-chan!" she called to the owners as she took a seat at the counter. Ichiraku Teuchi turned around, his usual large smile growing slightly larger at the sight of his best customer.

"Naruko-chan! Where have you been the last two days? Ayame was growing frantic when she heard your apartment building was blown up." he asked her with concern in his voice

Naruko scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. "Ehehehe. Sorry, Ossan. I was with Sandaime-ji-chan when my apartment was blown up, then I had to crash for the night. This morning I was busy cleaning up my new place."

"Ah, well that's good." Teuchi smiled at Naruko fondly. He was interrupted by a brown blur that leapt over the counter and crashed into Naruko.

Ino and Hinata gaped as a brown-haired older girl hugged Naruko in a death grip. "Naruko, where have you _been_?! Baka imouto! (Idiot little sister!)" The brown haired girl cried out.

"Ayame, you'd better let Naruko go before she suffocates." Teuchi said, amusement colouring his voice. Ayame 'eep'd' as she let go of Naruko, who had been turning blue in Ayame's embrace.

"G-gomen, Naruko-chan." Ayame said after her surrogate sister had recovered from her 'death by glomp' experience.

"It's ok Ayame-nee-chan. I should have let you know I was alright." Naruko replied with a grin. Teuchi caught sight of her hitai-ate.

"Oh, Naruko-chan! You graduated! Congratulations!" he boomed.

"Yep!" Naruko said, pride in her voice.

"And these two must be your team?" Teuchi deduced.

"Uh-huh. This is Yamanaka Ino-chan and Hyuuga Hinata-chan." Naruko introduced her friends to Teuchi.

"Hi!" Ino said with a smile.

"A-Ano…H-hello, Ichiraku-san." Hinata said, with a small bow.

"Just call me Teuchi, Ojou-chan." The chef said kindly, "Tell you what, to celebrate your graduation, the first bowl is on the house."

"Thanks Ossan!" Naruko beamed at him, "I'll have a Pork Ramen."

"A small Veggie Ramen." Ino said.

"A Ch-Chicken Ramen, please." Hinata said politely.

The three girls chatted about their classmates who were in Teams one through six while they ate. Both Ino and Hinata were just as glad as Naruko was that Ami was not on their team. Ami had been the class queen bitch and only her cronies liked her.

After they finished, they made their way back to the Academy. As they walked, Naruko looked at Ino with a small frown on her face.

"Ino-chan, you need to eat more." She said finally.

"I'm on a _diet_ Naruko." Ino replied.

"We're kunoichi. We don't _need_ to diet." Naruko argued. "We have an active life and exercise a lot when we train. All your diet is doing to you is stopping you from getting the energy you need!"

"Naruko, I am sticking to my diet." Ino replied, a tick mark appearing on her head, "Sasuke-kun won't like me if I'm fat."

"Still don't see what you see in that teme." Naruko said, "He has all the personality of a dead fish and I've had better conversations with Akamaru."

"Baka! Don't insult Sasuke-kun!" Ino yelled at her, "What do you have against him anyway?"

"An Uchiha tried to kill me when I was seven!" Naruko snapped back angrily, "The only Uchihas who didn't hurt me were Itachi-nii, Sasuke's mum and Shisui-san!"

Wide-eyed, Ino stared at Naruko in horror. "Why though? Did you prank them or something?"

"Can't tell you that Ino-chan." Naruko said softly. "Just trust me; Sasuke-teme is not worth it if he's anything like what the majority of his Clan were like."

Ino looked like she wanted to ask something else, but they had reached the Academy and so she evidently decided to wait until later to grill Naruko. Making their way to their classroom for what would presumably be the last time, Team 8 sat together and waited for their Jonin-sensei.

"Oh yeah, guess what you two." Naruko said excitedly, "Ji-chan told me about my mother yesterday."

"I-I'm glad for you, Naruko-chan." Hinata said with a happy smile. All of Naruko's friends knew how much the blond prankster yearned to know about her family.

"So, who was she?" Ino asked. Naruko smiled softly.

"Her name was Uzumaki Kushina, an S-Rank Jonin Kunoichi.," she said quietly. "Ji-chan said she could give Yondaime-sama a hard time in a spar if he didn't use his _**Hiraishin no Jutsu**_."

"Wow." Hinata breathed in awe. The Yondaime Hokage was practically worshiped by the entire village both for his actions during the Third Great Shinobi War, where he wiped out fully half of Iwagakure's Shinobi forces, and for sacrificing his life to slay the Kyuubi twelve years ago. For Naruko's mother to have been able to give _him_ a hard fight in a spar was incredible.

Ino was equally stunned. "I'll say. What happened to her?"

Naruko slumped a bit. "She died an hour after giving birth to me. Her body was discovered next to Yondaime-sama's. The file I read didn't say how she died or why she was on the battlefield almost immediately after giving birth to me."

Ino's eyes watered and she felt like kicking herself for asking such an insensitive question. She had _obviously_ died before Naruko could remember her, so she should have kept her mouth shut.

"Sorry, Naruko-chan. I shouldn't have asked that." Ino said softly.

Naruko shook her head slightly. "It's ok Ino-chan." She assured her friend with a small smile.

Just then, the door opened and a pair of Shinobi entered the room. One was a man who looked a lot like a much younger version of the Third Hokage, wearing the standard Jonin outfit, with a sash around his waist with the character '**火**' (Fire) emblazoned on it. Naruko supposed that this was Sarutobi Asuma.

The other person to walk in was a kunoichi. She had black hair, an unsettling pair of red eyes and wore an outfit that looked like it was made of bandages with thorny vines painted on them. Presumably then, this was Yūhi Kurenai. Naruko noted with disgust that Kiba was leering at her lecherously.

"Team Ten, this way." the Sandaime look-alike said before walking out. Shino, Shikamaru and Choji made their way out the door. The Jonin Kunoichi looked around and said, "Team 8? With me." and walked out as well.

The three genin hurried after her and caught up to her at the Academy's main entrance.

She looked each of them in the eyes, smiling when she saw Hinata, and said, "Meet me at Ashigya's Dango Shop." before she vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Naruko frowned. That was odd. Why would she…?

Suddenly, the gauntlet she had hidden on her arm warmed up and was getting hot! Naruko pulled her sleeve and looked at it. The eyes of the snarling ape face were glowing red, reminding Naruko of the Jonin-sensei that had just been here.

Looking up at her teammates, Naruko frowned when she saw that their pupils were contracted and they seemed to be staring off into the distance. Her own eyes widened when she realised what was happening.

'_Genjutsu!_' Forming the Tiger seal, Naruko attempted to dispel the illusion. "_**Kai! (Release!)**_" she said as she tried to halt the flow of chakra within herself and then overpower the chakra of the person who had cast the genjutsu with her own chakra. Much to her own surprise, it worked, revealing her sensei standing in front of her with wide eyes.

"You broke free of my _**Genjutsu: **__**Sanran Ha Tabi no Jutsu (Illusion: Scattered Leaf Journey Jutsu)**_ _and_ my _**Genjutsu: Tōmei Manto no Jutsu (Illusion: Invisibility Cloak Jutsu)**_ before either of your teammates even discovered they were even _in_ a genjutsu!" She exclaimed in shock, "How? I was told that you had no skill in genjutsu or genjutsu detection."

"Ehehehe." Naruko chuckled nervously. "Would you accept 'I don't know either' as an answer?"

"I'm afraid not." Kurenai replied firmly. Naruko sighed and revealed En'ō Kago-te. "I think it has something to do with this gauntlet that Sandaime-ji-chan gave me yesterday. I think my chakra control goes up a bit when I wear it."

"'A bit'" Kurenai parroted, "Try 'By a whole lot', Naruko. The Academy's reports say you couldn't even recognise that you were in a genjutsu, let alone break _two _almost simultaneously."

Naruko flushed at this and opened her mouth to reply, but then Hinata ran through a short handsign sequence and said, "_**Byakugan! (White Eye)**_", prompting veins on the sides of her eyes to bulge out. After looking around for a moment, Hinata cancelled the genjutsu on herself.

"N-Naruko-chan? Ino-chan?" Hinata asked looking between her friends. Naruko swiftly concealed her gauntlet. She didn't want any more questions asked of her than Kurenai already had.

"Ino-chan's still under the genjutsu." Naruko told her. "I'd get her out of it but...ah…I kinda don't know how to get another person out of a genjutsu other than with pain and if I use _that_ method, Ino-chan will thump me one."

Hinata giggled as she formed the Tiger seal again then reached to touch Ino's head and said "_**Kai!**_" Ino immediately blinked and looked around as Hinata removed her hand from her friend.

"Huh…? What the…?" the mind-walker said, disoriented by her sudden return to reality.

"It looks like our sensei was testing us in advance of the _real_ Genin Test." Naruko said dryly. Kurenai's eyes narrowed at Naruko's words.

"How did you know about the test? No genin is supposed to know about the real test until told by their sensei." She asked sharply.

Naruko shrugged nonchalantly. "Ji-chan mentioned it yesterday. He didn't say what it was; just that it's going to happen tomorrow."

Kurenai stared at Naruko for a moment before sighing and beckoning the girls to follow her. They walked to the Dango restaurant that Kurenai had mentioned previously and sat at a table. Kurenai ordered a pot of tea along with a plate of dango.

"Alright. Let's begin by introducing ourselves." the red-eyed Jonin said briskly as she poured herself some tea.

"Introduce ourselves?" Ino said blankly, "Why? I've been friends and classmates with Naruko and Hinata for years."

"But you don't know me and I don't know you." Kurenai replied, "I'll go first. I'm Yūhi Kurenai. I like dango and my friends, I dislike perverts and people who lower the standards of kunoichi. My dream for the future is to train you all into strong kunoichi. Your turn, Ponytail."

Ino's eyebrow twitched at the nickname, but she forced down her lingering irritation at the Jonin who had put her under a genjutsu for a preliminary test, although Ino inwardly acknowledged that a great deal of her irritation was due to her own inability to detect and break the damn genjutsu.

"Fine. I'm Yamanaka Ino. I like flowers, red bean soup and Sasuke-kun. I dislike loud and obnoxious people and, on occasion, Forehead Girl. My dream is to be a strong Kunoichi and master my Clan Jutsu."

'_Hmmm. Slight Fangirl issues, but nothing too severe._' Kurenai thought as she motioned to Hinata that it was her turn.

"I-I'm Hyuuga Hinata. I like…" she sneaked a blushing glance at Naruko, "…Cinnamon Buns, m-my friends, Flower Pressing a-and origami. I d-dislike people who put the b-blame where it isn't due and The_** Hyuuga Sōke**__** no**__** Juinjutsu (Hyuuga Main Family's Cursed Seal Jutsu)**_. M-My dream is to reunite the Hyuuga Clan as a f-family and become a strong kunoichi."

'_Looks like she still admires Naruko. And she still hates the 'Caged Bird' Seal._' Kurenai smiled at the girl she considered her surrogate daughter, before turning to Naruko.

"And finally, Naruko. Your turn."

"Yosh! I'm Uzumaki Naruko! I like my friends, training, Ramen and a soon to be added addition is researching my family history. I dislike Sasuke-teme, people who can't see the scroll for the kunai it seals, the 3-minute wait to cook cup Ramen and perverts. My dream is to become the Hokage who will surpass all those who came before me-dattebayo!"

'…_Well _that_ was a whole lot more detailed than I expected. Family History? I thought she was an orphan. She's obviously taking a stand against the village idiots who think she's the fox. Good for her._' Kurenai thought approvingly.

"Very good. Now, as Naruko said earlier, you have yet to actually pass the real test for becoming Genin." Kurenai said seriously.

"What was the Academy Graduation Test for then?" asked Ino irately.

"A filter. To keep those who lack the most basic skills out of the Shinobi Forces." Kurenai replied, "By passing those exams, you have proven that you are ready to be _truly_ tested. I should warn you, the failure rate of the True Genin Exam is 66% or, more simply, two-thirds of those who will take the test tomorrow will fail it."

"_Two-thirds?!_" Ino almost shouted in shock.

"Yes. All those who fail are sent back to repeat the last year of the Academy." Kurenai said, absolutely serious. "The test is tomorrow. Meet at Training Field 8 at 8 O'clock sharp. Dismissed."

The three genin got up and bowed to Kurenai before walking off, leaving Kurenai frowning in consternation at the retreating back of one Uzumaki Naruko.

'_I had better ask Hokage-sama about that gauntlet. I've never heard of a device that improves chakra control like that before._' Kurenai thought, unaware of the eavesdropping man who got up and wandered after her students.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Hokage's Office, Five Hours Later**

Kurenai's eyebrow was twitching rapidly in irritation. She, along with the Hokage and the rest of the Jonin-sensei, were waiting for the last member of their group, the infamous Hatake Kakashi, to arrive. He was infamous for arriving three hours late to anything but A-Rank-plus Missions or a meeting with the Hokage. In the latter's case he was instead only one hour late.

Kurenai hated the man, who almost _had_ to be a pervert, reading those smutty books in public as he did. She willingly admitted that his accomplishments during the Third Great Shinobi War and as an ANBU Captain were impressive and noteworthy, but the man himself was an awful avatar of deviant hobbies and bad habits. She only hoped that none of his genin picked any of them.

A puff of smoke signalled the arrival -_Finally_\- of the errant Jonin, who greeted them all with a jaunty "Yo."

"Kakashi." the Hokage sighed, "I don't really mind if you are an hour late to a meeting when it's just me, but from now on, you **will** be on time of any meetings involving the Jonin-sensei's. Understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." The silver-haired man replied in a monotone voice.

The Hokage looked at the former ANBU Captain for a moment, before sighing and spoke to the rest of the Jonin-sensei's. "Now that we are all finally here, I would like your impressions of your teams and how you think they might fare tomorrow."

The Jonin-sensei's for teams one through six were pessimistic about their teams' chances. One even questioned why they were even bothering to test all-civilian raised teams in the first place.

Finally, it was Kakashi's turn. "Sakura is a Fangirl, which is troublesome. She focuses almost exclusively on Sasuke, to the point of obsession. Kiba is arrogant, plain and simple. In addition, he is dismissive of kunoichi in general. Sasuke is also arrogant and gives his teammates the cold shoulder, seeing them as beneath him. I highly doubt they will pass my test." The one eyed jonin said lazily as he turned a page in his book.

"I see… Asuma?" Sarutobi said, turning to look at his son.

"Choji is unmotivated by anything short of anyone calling him fat and he eats too much, even for an Akimichi. Shikamaru, I suspect, is lazy but highly intelligent like the rest of his clan. Shino is quiet, to the point of rudeness. I suspect that his average marks at the academy, like Shikamaru's, are by design rather than lack of effort. I think they'll pass." Asuma said with a smile that made Kurenai blush slightly.

"Good. Kurenai?"

"My team is…interesting. Ino is a Fangirl, similar to Sakura, but not nearly as severe, I would say. There might be a point of contention with Naruko, but I think their friendship is too strong for it to be a factor. Hinata is shy and lacks confidence, but with Naruko's presence, I hope that will fade. Naruko is….hard to describe. She is loud, uninhibited and I believe she lacks discipline. However, from what I gathered, she is planning to take a stand against those who believe her to be the fox and she is very loyal to her friends. I believe my team will pass as well." Kurenai said with a small smile.

"Very well. Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma, you three stay. Everyone else is dismissed to prepare for tomorrow." Sarutobi ordered. Once the rest of the Jonin had left, the old Hokage's face hardened into granite as he spoke.

"Kurenai, I have received word that one of your students is under threat of assassination."

"What?!" Kurenai's eyes flashed with anger, "Who?"

"Naruko. By the person we suspect to have been responsible for blowing up her former apartment building." Sarutobi replied gravely.

"Why haven't you arrested the culprit yet?" She asked.

"Because all we have are suspicions. A lot of damning _circumstantial_ evidence, suspicious behaviour and secretive goings on, but nothing that solidly links our suspect to anything we think he did." Sarutobi replied.

Kurenai frowned. Technically, as sitting Hokage, Sarutobi was the military dictator of Konoha and able to do pretty much as he pleased.

On paper.

In _practice_, (most of) the civilian council dug its heels in stubbornly whenever the Sandaime infringed on non-shinobi matters.

Whereas the Shinobi council, who held far more power, had to be handled _just_ right, as several of them were ancient and powerful clans dating back to before Konoha's founding, such as the Hyuuga, whereas others were vital to the various areas of the Konoha Shinobi forces, such as the Kurama Clan (Genjutsu), the Inuzuka (Tracking and Taijutsu), the Aburame (Tracking), the Hyuuga (Tracking and Taijutsu), the Nara (Strategy), the Akamichi (Front-line fighters), the Yamanaka (Interrogation) and (before their destruction) the Uchiha (Ninjutsu).

All of these factors, in addition to the fact that Sarutobi was an old man who should still be retired, meant he could not act without cause.

"Who's the suspect?" She asked.

"Yamanaka Haruo. He was shadowing your team right up until you placed them in that genjutsu then went ahead to the Dango restaurant you mentioned. It is the ANBU's opinion he plans to ambush your team during their Genin test tomorrow." Sarutobi replied.

"He was shadowing them and I never knew it?" Kurenai was horrified. Was she useless as a jonin?

"Haruo is a skilled jonin who has specialised in infiltration and assassination, Kurenai. There is no need to feel inadequate as a jonin because a specialist managed to fool you." Sarutobi added, as if reading her mind.

"Right." Kurenai shook her head to clear it, "So, what's the plan to catch him?"

Sarutobi smiled predatorily, making the three Jonin shiver and make mental notes to _never_,_ ever _get on the bad side of Sarutobi Hiruzen. That smile promised _pain_.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko**

**Former Toji Clan Home, Clan Residential District**

Naruko looked over the work her clones had done and smiled. The place was spotless and most definitely going *ping*. Not bad for another five hours of concentrated effort by fifty clones plus herself.

After Kurenai had dismissed them, Team 8 had split up because Ino had one last shift at her family's flower shop to do, while Hinata had to report to her father about who was on her team.

Naruko waved off Hinata's apologies and told her that obviously her father was going to want to know who was on his daughter's team, especially since Hinata was his heir.

Naruko had spent a couple of hours doing a bit of shopping. She had run low on shuriken and kunai so she had stocked up. She had also taken the opportunity to buy a brand new outfit. While she loved her orange jumpsuit for its practicality, durability and, most importantly, colour, she had decided that as an honest to kami kunoichi, not a student, a more subdued colour scheme was in order.

'_Hehehe…Ino-chan won't believe her eyes tomorrow._' Naruko thought smugly. Ino's complaints and rants about 'that accursed orange monstrosity' were legendary at the Academy.

The Academy….Naruko remembered Kurenai-senseis warning about what would happen to those who failed the True Genin Test. Her face contorted in a scowl. No. She absolutely would _not_ fail tomorrow. She had been lucky that her Ji-chan gave her a special pass to graduate due to her mastery of the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_. If she failed and got sent back, she had little doubt that there would be a rule stating that only the _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_ would be allowed.

Even although she could use the damn thing, she did not want to have to wait an entire year to prove she could accomplish what she thought of as the single most useless jutsu she had ever seen. Even her _**Orioke no Jutsu**_ was more useful than the basic _**Bunshin**_.

'_My family scrolls!_' Naruko remembered the two boxes she had put in her room last night, '_Maybe I'll find something in there that can help me!_'

Dispelling her clones in a hurry, Naruko made it two paces before an enormous influx of memories, ten hours worth from the first 30 clones and five hours worth from the 20 she had made when she arrived back from her first team meeting, giving her the mother of all headaches.

"OK, _that_ hurt. What the hell _was_ it?" Naruko muttered aloud once the searing pain disappeared. She could now remember cleaning the entire house from top to bottom and from multiple points of view….the points of view from her clones!

"No way…" she muttered in awe. She could remember everything her clones did? Was that even possible? She hadn't exactly read the part of the effect on the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ other than how to perform it.

Deciding that she needed advice and to run a test whilst getting it, Naruko made another shadow clone and ordered it to go ask Iruka-sensei about the full details of what the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **_could do.

Having temporarily sated her curiosity about her best jutsu, Naruko moved once again to investigate her family's scrolls. Once she reached her room, she frowned as she looked between the red box and the orange box.

'_Well, since my mother had red hair, I can guess that there might be family stuff in the red box. The orange one…I have no clue. I'll go with the red one for now._'

Decision made, Naruko lifted the lid off of the box and peered inside. The box was full of scrolls. There were about seven large ones, a couple of medium sized ones and several smaller ones. Secured atop one was a folded letter with her name on it.

Reaching out with a trembling hand, Naruko picked up the letter and turned it around to see who had written it.

'Uzumaki Kushina' was written on the back where a sender's name was usually written. Naruko gasped. A letter from her mother. Quite possibly the _only_ words she would ever read written directly to her from her mother.

Swallowing the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat, Naruko unfolded the letter slowly and began to read it.

'_To my daughter Naruko,_

_As I write this, we have only just been told that you are a girl, so I can finally write down without tripping over gender-specific words. I hope that your father and I are sitting with you and laughing about your mother's paranoia during pregnancy, but this letter is written in the case that something goes wrong during the birth. _

_Therefore, I must assume that either I am dead and your father is alive, or that both of us are dead and you are alone, for which I am sorrier than you can imagine._

_To start then. My name is Uzumaki Kushina, the last of the Main Branch of the Uzumaki Clan, and I am proud to say that I am your mother. I have blood-red hair and blue eyes. When I was younger, people nicknamed me 'Tomato' because my face was quite round back then and my hair was so unusual. They regretted it though when I beat them up! I became a genin in due course, and I was quite the scrappy tomboy, so much so that my new nickname was 'The __Red Hot-Blooded Habanero'. __When I became a jonin, my exploits on the battlefield during the Third Great Shinobi War earned me a nickname I do not take much pride in: 'The Bloody Crimson Death'._

_The Uzumaki are related to the Senju Clan and have been allies for years. I was brought to Konoha for a very specific purpose: to become the container, or 'Jinchuruki' of the powerful Bijū known as the Kyuubi no Kitsune._'

Naruko stopped reading, shocked. Konoha had brought her mother here to use as a damn container! How _dare_ they! Naruko gritted her teeth and kept reading, hoping something here would explain why.

'_The word 'Jinchuruki' is an old one, as old as the shinobi world itself. It means literally 'The Power of Human Sacrifice'. Those that are called this have Bijū sealed within them, mostly done as a newborn child. This is because as a newborn, a human has undeveloped chakra coils and so the Bijū's immense power cannot shatter and destroy the coils. Instead, the child's coils grow immensely due to the influence of the prisoner sealed within._

_We Uzumaki however are an exception. You may remember from history (You had better have paid attention!) that the wife of the Shodaime Hokage was an Uzumaki, my Great Aunt Mito in fact. After Senju Hashirama defeated Uchiha Madara at the Valley of The End, Mito-baa-chan used an Uzumaki Clan __Fūinjutsu to seal the Kyuubi, which had been under Madara's control, within her. She survived because our bodies make the perfect hosts for the tailed beasts._

_After a number of tests, Mito-baa-chan and the Shodaime concluded that the full weight of the Kyuubi's chakra was such that none but an Uzumaki could contain it, because of our immensely dense, powerful and unique chakra. Even then, only a select few from the main branch had the necessary chakra to be a host._

_Mito contained the Kyuubi through the First and Second Great Shinobi Wars unknown to the villagers of Konoha. Sadly, although the Uzumaki are known to be long-lived, Mito-baa-chan eventually felt that her life was to come to an end, so Sandaime-sama sent word to the home of the Uzumaki, Uzushiogakure, for someone to contain the Kyuubi before Mito-baa-chan passed away._

_I was chosen due to my extra dense and powerful chakra, but not told of why I was until some time after I arrived. Naturally, the thought of hosting the Kyuubi terrified me. Mito-baa-chan comforted me and once I was ready, the Kyuubi was sealed inside me._

_You might be wondering why I am telling you this, Naruko-chan, and I will tell you now. The entire reason I am writing this letter is because for a Jinchuruki, there is one time, and only one time, when the seal keeping the Bijū weakens and that is only applicable for female Jinchuruki._

_Childbirth._

_During the nine months of pregnancy, the energy used to maintain the seal is instead directed towards the developing child, gradually weakening the seal until at childbirth, the seal is at it's absolute weakest point and the risk of the Bijū breaking out actually becomes feasible._

_We are taking all possible precautions to prevent this of course. The Yondaime is going to be standing by to reform the seal immediately after childbirth, so the Kyuubi stands no chance of escaping. Minato is a superb Sealmaster. For a non-Uzumaki._

_However, as you are reading this, I must tell you now: you are, in all likelihood, the new Jinchuruki of the Kyuubi. If the Kyuubi escaped, the only way to stop it is to seal it within a new vessel: you. It could not be re-sealed within me, because when a tailed beast escapes or is extracted, it usually kills the former host. Uzumaki live for about two hours after extraction, to judge from Mito-baa-chan._

_I desperately do not want to have you bear the burden of a Jinchuruki, so I have insisted on every scenario be considered to ensure the fox stays put. If that old fool Sarutobi hasn't told you about the Kyuubi yet, give his family jewels a good kick and say that it was maternal payback from me._

_If you are the new Jinchuruki though, something must have happened that we did not consider. It won't be a problem with the __Fūinjutsu (because of Minato being there), nor will it be an issue with me bleeding to death during childbirth. Sarutobi Biwako, Sandaime-sama's wife, is the best midwife and med-nin in the world aside from Tsunade of the Sannin._

_If anything, I would say that someone interfered with the process. However, we will be guarded by several teams of ANBU whilst under a kekkai in a secret location, so I am actually at a loss as to how this could have happened._

_You should be a chunin when you read this, so I am sorry that you have not known of your family until now. The contents of this box hold the knowledge, history and jutsu of the entire Uzumaki Clan. I received it a couple of days after the destruction of Uzushiogakure from the personal summon of my father, the Uzukage (Eddy Shadow)._

_I had Minato store this box in a secret safe built into the wall of the Hokage's office, just in case. He is a bit of an idiot. He believes that the village would honour any child of mine regardless of whether it had the Kyuubi sealed in it or not. I am less trusting than he is._

_Now, I will give you the same advice that Mito-baa-chan gave me when she gave me the courage to become the Kyuubi's container._

_Fill yourself with love. It is the only thing that can counter the Kyuubi's chakra, which floods its host with negative emotions. Find someone, some_thing _to love and hold it close to your heart with both hands. Mito-baa-chan had Hashirama and I have your father. It worked for us and it will work for you._

_That is all I can tell you, my beloved daughter. The history of our clan, right up to the day of its near annihilation, is here for you to study. Our unique Ninjutsu, our Taijutsu, our Kenjutsu, all of it is for you and your descendents. In another box, coloured orange, is the Uzumaki's __Fūinjutsu__ library, although I would advise you to work through standard books on __Fūinjutsu before you so much as look at those._

_I also leave you my own sword, which served me faithfully throughout my career as a kunoichi. I called it Benihime (Crimson Princess), although others, mainly Shinobi from Iwa, Kumo and Kiri called it the '__Ryūketsu Shinigami' (Bloody Reaper). Whenever it changes hands, its name is wiped clean and the new owner must name it when it next takes a life._

_My daughter, you will live a hard, painful life and I wish I had been able to save you from it. Just know that your father and I love you with everything we have, even from death. When you make Jonin, you will receive another box like these two from your father. This must be frustrating for you, but I had many enemies who would seek to take revenge on you to get at me, even in death. Your father has even more enemies that would seek to do the same._

_With all my love,_

_Uzumaki Kushina_'

Tears fell from Naruko's eyes as she finished reading the letter her mother had left her. Thoughts swirled in her with alarming frequency, none able to surface to be heard in the raging tumult that was her mind at the moment.

Her mother had done everything she could to prevent Naruko from becoming a Jinchuruki, but it had failed for a reason that had somehow gotten past all of the preparations and precautions that the Yondaime and the Sandaime had arranged. Her mother had loved her. Loved her enough to risk _dying_ to give birth to her.

Wiping her eyes angrily, Naruko then carefully folded the letter up again and put it carefully on her bedside table. She then examined the box of scrolls and selected two from within it, then closed the box again.

She was then hit by an influx of memories from the clone she had sent to Iruka-sensei. Evidently, she could use the _**Kage Bunshin**_ to speed learn jutsu and improve her chakra control. Nice.

'_Don't worry mother. I _will_ make you proud. I'll live with everything I have, and prove those idiots in the village wrong. I am Uzumaki Naruko and _not_ the fox._' The last Uzumaki promised her deceased mother as she walked towards the training hall with purpose in her steps.

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**The Next Day, 07:55 AM**

**Training Field 8, Konohagakure Outskirts**

"Where is Naruko?" Yelled an irate Yamanaka Ino as she paced back and forth, constantly checking the position of the sun to tell what time it was. Standing a short distance away from the purple clad kunoichi was Hinata, poking her fingers together nervously.

"I-I'm sure she's…on her w-way, Ino-chan." Hinata said quietly. Ino swung around with an irate look on her face.

"She'd better be or I'll kick her ass!" Ino said dangerously, "No way am I going back to the academy because she damn well slept in!"

"Good thing I arrived just now then, eh Ino-chan?" said a voice from behind the blond Kunoichi, making her and Hinata jump in fright.

"Naruko!" Ino yelled in fury as she whirled around, "You scared me….to…" her voice faded as she took in the form of her teammate. Hinata gasped, squeaked out 'eep!' and turned redder than a tomato when she saw Naruko.

Instead of her usual orange jumpsuit, she was wearing a very interesting outfit. A tight black bodysuit that started at her neck and stopped at her thighs, a pale blue vest that did little to conceal her mildly impressive cleavage, a dull blue skirt and a dull red trench coat with a black hood adorned Naruko's body now. Black ninja sandals encased her feet. The right sleeve of the coat was missing and had a pair of black belts attached to the front and back of the coat and she had a beautiful gauntlet adorning her right forearm. Her hair was in its usual ponytail, with the hitai-ate tied across her forehead and under the ponytail's tie.

"N-Naruko?" Ino asked, stunned, "Is that really you?"

"In the flesh -dattebayo." Naruko grinned her foxy smile at her two friends, "Sorry for being late. I…didn't get much sleep, for more than one reason."

Hinata saw that Naruko's eyes were red and swollen. "Ano…Naruko-chan…you've been crying…w-what happened?"

Ino's eyes widened as she noticed this as well. "Naruko?" It was almost unheard of for the irrepressible, upbeat and stubborn girl to even show a hint of unhappiness. For _Naruko_ to have _cried_….

"I…" Naruko said in a shaky voice, "I found a letter from my mother that she wrote to me…in case she didn't survive the birth."

The two other kunoichi didn't hesitate to go up to Naruko and envelop her in a hug. Hinata had lost her mother when she was young and missed her desperately. Ino hadn't lost any of her close relatives that she had met, but shuddered at the very thought of losing her mother, whom she loved very much. Naruko returned their hugs with gratitude.

"Well, ain't this cosy, eh Nai-chan?" an amused voice said from behind the three genin. The three-way hug broke up and they saw Kurenai-sensei standing next to a woman dressed similar to Naruko, except more so.

She had purple hair in a pineapple-like style. Her bodysuit was mesh and her skirt was a dull orange. Not to mention shorter than Narukos. She wore shin-guards over her sandals and her trench coat was a dull tan.

"Indeed." Kurenai agreed with her mysterious companion, "It's good that they are close, isn't it Anko? They might _actually_ survive."

"Nothing better than smacking around genin fresh out of the Academy. So young, so innocent…such easy prey." The newly named Anko said with a mildly sadistic expression as she licked her lips slowly.

Ino was paling. "Anko…? As in _Mitarashi_ Anko? The Tokujo? Of ANBU T&amp;I?" she squeaked out.

"That's me." Anko said with a grin, "Oh, I recognise you -you're Inoichi's brat aren't ya?"

"She is." Kurenai agreed, "That's Hyuuga Hinata over there."

"That stick-up-his-ass Hiashi's eldest?" Anko questioned as Hinata shrank back behind Naruko under the gaze of the older woman. "She's a mouse. You sure, Nai-chan?"

"Hey, quit picking on my friends, hebi-onna (snake woman)!" Naruko growled. Anko's face went rigid.

"And why do you call me that, gaki?" she said _very_ softly as she locked eyes with Naruko. Kurenai looked warily between the two kunoichi.

The whiskered girl snorted. "Because you _reek_ of snakes. Just like that ANBU who kept breaking into my apartment before some jackass blew it up."

Anko raised an eyebrow. "You can smell that?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm surprised everyone else can't. Seriously, I could track you across a damn jungle." Naruko said with a wrinkled nose.

Anko smirked as she slowly drew a kunai and began fingering it. "That's because I signed the snake summon contract, gaki. Only other shinobi who have signed a contract or very powerful ninja can sense that kind of thing. Which're you?"

"A summon contract? Never even seen one, so the second one I guess." Naruko smirked back. Ino and Hinata were crouched behind the red clad kunoichi like she was a shield.

"That a fact?" Anko asked, "Well, we'll see about that, eh Nai-chan?"

"Uh…yeah." Kurenai said, still trying to recover from the sudden lack of tension in the air, "Ahem. Today, as you know, is the real genin test. Your test…is to get Anko-chan here-" she waved at the evilly grinning kunoichi next to her, "-to drop her kunai."

The three genin looked blank for a moment. Then, Naruko spoke up warily, "So if she throws it at us, she loses?"

"Essentially." replied Kurenai.

"And she has no other kunai on her?" Ino further pressed.

"Nope." Anko replied cheerfully as she tossed her kunai pouch to Kurenai.

"Ano…Kurenai-sensei…are you trying to kill us?" Naruko said her face and voice completely deadpan.

Kurenai raised both eyebrows at this. "Why do you say that?"

"Ino-chan called her a Tokujo earlier. That means a Tokubetsu Jonin, which is only one rank under you-" Naruko said

"Oh, the chance would be a fine thing." Anko muttered, making Kurenai flush red.

"-and I'm fairly certain that new genin like us have only a slightly better chance against a jonin than a snowball in hell!" Ino finished, still pale.

"Tough kiddies. This is your test." Anko said seriously. "Either accept the mission or take off your hitai-ate's and scram. If you are given a mission that seems like suicide in the shinobi world when lives might be at risk, you do the mission, no questions. Weak resolves get you nowhere."

"In for a ryo…." Naruko muttered as she glanced to Ino and Hinata. "You two in? I'm not ready to bow to some crazy snake lady."

Anko's eye twitched at the nickname Naruko gave her.

"M-Me neither." Ino replied, taking heart from Naruko's confidence.

"L-let's do our best." Hinata nodded. Naruko turned back to the watching jonin.

"There you have it. Can we have time to make a plan first?" Naruko asked bluntly.

Anko and Kurenai just looked at them for a second before bursting out in laughter, prompting a tick mark to appear on both Naruko and Ino's heads.

"Oi! What the hell is so funny?" Naruko asked.

"You three…pass!" Kurenai gasped out, holding her aching sides with both hands.

As one, the three genin say, """Eh?"""

Anko grabbed her kunai pouch from where Kurenai had dropped it and strapped it back on. She then turned to explain the test to the genin.

"Y'see, there are a few important thing you need in a team. Individual abilities, teamwork, planning…all of those are important. But one of the most important is trust in your teammates."

Kurenai took over at this point. "If you don't trust your teammates, you can't make good use of your individual skills. You can't have any reasonable level of teamwork and any planning is useless without trust on the side of the planner and those who will carry out the plan."

She pointed at Ino. "I brought along Anko-chan here because I knew that Ino's father had told her stories about Anko at home, so Ino's resolve was shaken. She knew that Anko was above her weight class."

Kurenai then gestured at Hinata. "Anko is also very good at intimidating people from just looking at them. Hinata has very little self-confidence, so she was reduced to cowering behind Naruko, someone she trusts."

Anko jumped in again. "So the last one left was Naruko here. She took in Ino's information about my rank, my presence and stares and came up with the fact that they could not win, despite the handicaps we were throwing ya. A sensible conclusion to be fair, as I could whip all three of you at once without even trying. Therefore, I then tried to push you all into a decision by introducing a sudden death situation. Do or do not. Try or fail."

"The key was the fact Naruko instinctively trusted herself, as well as you two. She trusted that you would fight alongside her, without a second of doubt on her part. In turn, the trust she showed in you returned your confidence, Ino, Hinata. And your belief in and trust in Naruko helped you two do that." Kurenai finished with a smile.

The genin kunoichi looked at each other with growing smiles. They had passed! Ino suddenly glomped both Hinata and Naruko with a laugh.

"We did it!" she squealed in delight.

"Damn straight." said Naruko.

"H-Hai." Hinata stammered out, blushing furiously at being drawn so close to Naruko's face by Ino's hug.

Kurenai let the kids celebrate for a moment, before calling them to order. "Alright you three, settle down." she called with a small laugh.

Once the three kunoichi had calmed down, Kurenai continued. "Now that you three are officially genin, we need to see where you skill wise, so you'll be sparing with Anko -no weapons, Anko! - and she'll tell you where you need to improve."

Naruko frowned slightly. "Kurenai-sensei, I already know that my taijutsu is pathetic. Can I skip this bit?"

Kurenai was surprised. From everything she had heard about her, she had expected Naruko to jump at the chance to show off in front of others. "Oh? And who told you that Naruko?"

"Sandaime-ji-chan. He said that Mizuki-teme sabotaged my taijutsu so it was full of openings and was unbalanced." Naruko replied, a slightly dark look coming over her face.

Ino was thunderstruck. "So, when all of us thought that you were getting personal instruction, he was making your taijutsu worthless? What a scumbag!"

Hinata was glaring at nothing in particular, which was intimidating on the face of a Hyuuga. Anko scowled and made a note to herself to _really_ go to town on the silver-haired bastard when she got back to T&amp;I.

Kurenai merely frowned slightly. "Well that is certainly troublesome. You'll have to learn the Academy style from scratch."

"Actually, I'm planning on learning my Clan's taijutsu Style Kurenai-sensei." Naruko said happily, "I never felt comfortable with the Academy style, even before Mizuki-teme started messing with it."

"A Clan Style? You have a Clan?" Kurenai asked, surprised.

"Had, actually." Naruko corrected sadly, "The Uzumaki were all but wiped out at the start of the Third Great Ninja War. My mother was one of the few to escape the massacre by being in Konoha when it happened. She left me the Clan Archives and library, so the Uzumaki are still here, even if it's only me."

"Gaki, the only Uzumaki I remember being in Konoha after the War was Kushina-sama. You saying you're her kid?" asked Anko intently.

"Yep. I am proud to be the daughter of the Red-Hot Habanero." Naruko declared.

"Kami..." Kurenai breathed in awe. Before she could say or do anything else, she felt her body struck with a wave of chakra.

"What the…?!" she got out. All of the others felt it as well. Abruptly, Anko drew back her hand shakily and punched Naruko in the face, sending her to the ground.

"What the HELL Anko?!" Kurenai yelled.

"It's not me!" Anko yelled back, as she moved for another blow, "My body's doing it all on it's own!"

Ino's eyes widened as she kicked Hinata in the gut. "I know what this is! Daddy told me about it! It is a Yamanaka-Clan Jutsu, the _**Shinranshin no Jutsu! (Mind Destruction Jutsu!)**_"

Naruko stood up shakily and did a roundhouse kick to Kurenai. "Can you counter it?"

"I haven't even learned it yet!" Ino retorted just before Hinata backhanded her.

"Well, how does it work?" Anko grunted as she tried to stop herself from drawing a kunai and failed.

"Umm…I think it works by sending chakra into the opponents' nervous system." Ino said, desperately trying to remember the conversation she had had with her father about the advanced Clan Jutsu.

"Is that all?" Naruko asked as she shakily forced her arms to obey her, rather than the one acting as the puppet master, and formed the Ram Seal. The sudden explosion of chakra stunned all of them. Kurenai quickly realised what Naruko was doing. She was trying to force the invading chakra out by overwhelming it with her own.

"Stop Naruko! If you force that much chakra into your body, there's no telling what the damage could be!" She shouted.

"I…can…handle…it!" Naruko gritted out. Anko charged at Naruko with her kunai drawn back for a stab.

"If you're gonna do something, _do it now_!" the Tokujo yelled as she thrust the kunai at Naruko.

{Slice}

Naruko dodged the kunai narrowly and rolled away from Anko quickly.

"Damn! That was _way_ too close." Naruko panted as she stood. As one, her friends and teachers bodies moved to attack her. Naruko dodged a couple of punches from Hinata, thankful that whoever was controlling Hinata couldn't make her use the _**Juken (Gentle Fist)**_ that the Hyuuga Clan were so feared for.

"Enough of this! _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" Naruko shouted as she formed the seal before her. Instantly, thirty Naruko's swarmed over her unwilling attackers and bound their limbs with rope that Naruko unsealed from a scroll.

Temporarily safe from attacks, Naruko scanned the field as she drew a kunai. The person who used that jutsu had to be somewhere nearby and Naruko doubted that he'd give up as easily as that.

"_**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu!)**_" She heard before being dragged up to her neck in the earth. A black clad body leapt up and stood in front of her. He was wearing ANBU-style armour and a red Kitsune mask.

"Get him!" She ordered her clones, who charged the masked man with a roar. Meanwhile, she fruitlessly tried to free herself from her tomb. She couldn't make any handsigns and she only had one jutsu that could be used without handsigns.

Her clones were being wiped out, so she had to try it before they were gone and her friends and teachers were at the unknown attacker's mercy. She focussed on her chakra and kneaded it before opening her mouth at the attacker.

"_**Suiton: Teppōdama! (Water Style Liquid Bullets!)**_" She mouthed before firing three fast moving balls of water at the man, who had been taken off guard by the seal-less jutsu. He dodged one on pure reflex, but was struck on the mask and in the chest by the remaining two, sending him flying.

"Get me outta here!" Naruko ordered her two remaining clones and they hurriedly dug her out and pulled her up.

Meanwhile the other members of Team 8, plus Anko, having regained control of their bodies were struggling to get out of the bonds that Naruko's clones had tied them with. The _**Nawanuke no Jutsu (Rope Escape Jutsu)**_ was only working slowly and they were helpless to aid their friend/subordinate as she once more faced off against the man who attacked her.

The man had regained his footing and the Kitsune mask, badly damaged by the Teppōdama, was cracking and crumbling away to reveal…

"…Cousin Haruo?!" Ino yelped in shock.

Haruo ignored Ino and glared at Naruko. "How did you escape my trap, demon bitch?" He hissed at the Jinchuruki, "How?! You failed to graduate! Mizuki told me that himself!"

"Trap….? Wait, my house! You did that!" Naruko shouted, glaring at the man angrily. "I was in a meeting with my ji-chan, you bastard! And I graduated because Mizuki-teme went traitor and I kicked his ass! Just like I'm gonna kick _yours_ for attacking my friends!"

Naruko made the familiar handsign again, her anger getting so strong she instinctively added a word to her favourite jutsu.

"_**Tajū Kage Bunshin No Jutsu! (Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu!)**_" She yelled. In a massive explosion of smoke, an entire army of Narukos surrounded the man. The original hand signalled some to free her speechless team.

Haruo looked around in shock. There had to be at _least_ a thousand clones in the clearing. Forcing himself to calm down, Haruo smirked at Naruko.

"These things may have beaten a weakling chunin like Mizuki, but I am a Jonin, demon bitch. I wont fall as easily as all that." he sneered at the red wearing kunoichi.

"Then it's a good thing she has a team!" Kurenai snarled as she stepped up next to Naruko, red eyes boring into the man who dared attack her student.

Anko stood on the other side of Naruko, a sadistic smile on her face as she played with a kunai.

Immediately behind Naruko, Ino and Hinata glared at Haruo.

Haruo feigned shock. "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"

A series of popping sounds signalled the arrival of outsiders to the battle. A spinning tornado cut through the clones and stopped at the side of Haruo, revealing a man also dressed in black ANBU-style armour and wearing a blue Kitsune mask.

A swirl of leaves revealed a man in white ANBU armour and a black Kitsune mask, who promptly fell into the standard kata of the _**Juken**_.

"You know, now I come to think of it - I did." Haruo sneered at Team 8.

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**Next Chapter: Clash! Team 8 vs. Kitsune Killers.**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with emboldened names are mine.**

Genjutsu Kai - Illusion Release

Rank: _Varies depending on the genjutsu the user attempts to dispel._

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _Stops the flow of chakra and apples an even stronger force to neutralise a genjutsu cast on ones self or another._

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**Genjutsu: ****Sanran Ha Tabi no Jutsu - Illusion: Scattered Leaf Journey Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _The user disappears in a swirl of leaves similar to a Shunshin. The target is then led to believe that they are heading towards their intended destination, when in fact they are standing still and gazing into space. Mostly a delaying tactic._

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**Genjutsu: Tōmei Manto no Jutsu - Illusion: Invisibility Cloak Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect:_ Sounds more impressive than it actually is. Suggests to anyone within range that the user is not in fact there. Useless against the Byakugan._

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Byakugan - White Eye

Rank: _Not a jutsu in itself._

Type:_ Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _The Dōjutsu of the Hyuuga Clan. Allows the user to see through solid objects, a near 360-degree field of vision, telescopic sight and the ability to see chakra, the chakra flow, the chakra circulation system of a person and see chakra in colour. Especially strong users of the Byakugan can see the tenketsu, or chakra points. To seal these points means to prevent their opponent from using chakra._

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Shinranshin no Jutsu - Mind Destruction Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _By sending their chakra into the nervous systems of the targets, the user can control their bodies and force them to attack each other. Ideal for situations when you are outnumbered._

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Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu - Earth Style: Headhunter Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _Drags the opponent up to their neck in earth, trapping them. Originally a torture/execution jutsu._

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Suiton: Teppōdama - Water Style Liquid Bullets

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive_

Effect: _Shoots a bullet of condensed water at the enemy. Impact is comparable to an actual bullet impact. Can be employed without outside water source. Multiple bullets can be shot at any one time._

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Nawanuke no Jutsu - Rope Escape Jutsu

Rank: E

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _Various ways to escape while tied up by ropes._

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Tajū Kage Bunshin No Jutsu - Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect:_ A kinjutsu. This variant of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu creates hundreds of clones of the user. Unusable even by its creator, the Nidaime Hokage, this is now the signature jutsu of Uzumaki Naruko._


	4. Clash! Team 8 vs Kitsune Killers

**Authors Note: I received a guest review from a person called cormin12. He (or she) made several comments about this story. I will respond to quite a few of them by saying this: I am not Masaki Kishimoto. This is not Canon. This is ****Fan**** Fiction. As such, I can manipulate the Naruto world in whichever manner I please. The Naruto Wikia never says specifically ****when**** Uzushiogakure is destroyed, just that it was destroyed during the 'Three Great Shinobi War' Period.**

**Secondly, I created a civilian council as a plot device. I personally think that it greatly explains the amount of crap that Naruto (or in the case of my story, Naruko) put up with growing up. Once again, ****Fan**** Fiction. Artistic Licence. Whichever you prefer.**

**Finally, Naruko is not going to go all Mary Sue on you with character development, even with Kage Bunshin Training. The development will be in specific areas that she focuses in, but it will be a natural development.**

**Now this is the Harem, in order of being 'caught' by Naruko: Hinata, Ino, Ten-Ten, Sasame and Sakura. There is another I plan to add, but she is a secret. There is one more space on the Harem and it is your choice. Go to my profile and choose between FemHaku, Isarabi and Kin Tsuchi.**

**Now, ON TO THE FIC!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. I claim any OC's and original Jutsus. That is it.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 4: Clash! Team 8 vs. Kitsune Killers**

Kurenai frowned across the field at Yamanaka Haruo and his two accomplices. The tornado that one used to enter the field was definitely the _**Tsūga (Tunnelling Fang)**_ taijutsu move of the Inuzuka Clan, whereas the other one was in the ready stance of the _**Juken (Gentle Fist)**_ taijutsu style of the Hyuuga Clan.

"A Yamanaka, a Hyuuga and an Inuzuka." Anko noted. She was still playing with the kunai in her hands in an unconcerned fashion. Kurenai picked up the message Anko was sending her: Two clans who had suffered almost no casualties on the Day of the Kyuubi and one that had suffered moderate casualties.

'_The Inuzuka is probably having his rage and grief at his pack-mates being killed taken advantage of by the other two._' Kurenai thought as she drew a kunai, '_But who is actually pulling the strings here? Haruo? The Hyuuga? Or is it someone else? In any case, we have to take them prisoner to find out what they know and what they have done._'

"Surrender, Haruo. The Hokage knew well in advance that you would attempt to attack us here today." Kurenai called over to the man who had dared attack her team.

Haruo scoffed. "If he had evidence I had done something, I would be in T&amp;I right now."

"Just because he had no evidence does not mean he did nothing to stop you." Kurenai fired back.

At that moment…

"HOWL, MY YOUTH!" bellowed a green blur as it crossed the field and dodged through Naruko's one-girl army, "_**DYNAMIC ENTRY!**_"

With a howl of pain, the presumptive Inuzuka was sent flying across the field by a mighty kick to the face that utterly shattered the mask he wore. The green blur responsible then moved on to the Hyuuga.

"_**Konoha Daisenkō! (Great Leaf Flash!)**_" The blur roared and turned from a streak of green into a spinning top that sent the Hyuuga flying as well, the mask hiding his identity smashed into pieces from a single, powerful kick. The blur then zoomed over and stopped next to Kurenai.

Finally able to see the true form of the blur, the three-genin kunoichi looked…and then wished they hadn't. The blur was a tall, muscular man in a green spandex leotard. He wore orange legwarmers and a red hitai-ate around his waist acting as a belt for some reason. He also had on a flak jacket that showed he was at least chunin rank.

The freakiest part about the man was his head. He had shiny black hair in a bowl cut and thick eyebrows that seemed to move with a life of their own.

Hinata blanched and was eternally grateful that she was a Hyuuga, and not an Uchiha, at that moment because the _**Byakugan**_ didn't have any memorisation capability like the_** Sharingan (Copy Wheel Eye)**_ had.

Ino's internal 'fashion disaster' alarm was ringing at top volume and she immediately forgave Naruko for having worn the orange jumpsuit in the past, as it was nowhere near as horrifyingly awful as the outfit she saw before her right now.

Naruko's face was utterly blank, echoed by her Shadow Clone 'Army-of-One'. She had worn a kill-me-now-orange jumpsuit that made her look like a walking traffic cone and she hadn't looked half as bad as this person did right now. She immediately made a mental note to ask her Ji-chan to ban green spandex leotards from Konoha.

"YOSH! A most youthful day to you all!" the bushy browed man greeted Team 8 in an obnoxiously loud and exuberant voice, "I am glad to see that your youth has not been dampened by these most unyouthful of foes."

"Err…Kurenai-sensei….who is this guy?" Naruko asked, her eyebrow twitching slightly.

"My pardon! How unyouthful of me not to introduce myself!" the green clad man shouted before Kurenai could say anything, "I am known as Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey, Maito Gai! May you be ever youthful, young one!"

"Uh-huh…right." Anko said, her own eyebrow twitching slightly now, "Listen Gai, could you handle the Hyuuga, while me and Nai-chan take care of the Inuzuka?"

"Who will take care of Haruo?" asked Kurenai. Anko gestured to Naruko, Ino and Hinata.

"You can't be serious! He's an assassination specialist!" Kurenai said, red eyes boring into her friends honey brown eyes.

"He's also out numbered kami-knows-how-many to one, Nai-chan." Anko pointed out, gesturing to the horde of Naruko's around them, "And I think Naruko-chan here could keep popping 'em out all day long."

Shifting her stance slightly, she put her game face (read: sadistic) on and looked at the genin. "Alright Gakis. Here is your first A-Rank Mission as a team: capture Yamanaka Haruo alive. Break his arms and legs if you have to, but he has to be alive, got it?"

"Hell yeah! I owe this guy some payback for destroying my old home and making Ino-chan and Hinata-chan hurt each other!" Naruko growled as she drew a kunai.

Ino nodded. "No-one blows up my friends house and gets away with it! Besides, my cheek is still sore from Hinata-chan's backhand."

"G-gomenasai, Ino-chan." Hinata said as she shifted to an aggressive _**Juken**_ stance, "b-but my stomach is also still sore f-from your kick."

"You owe me some red bean soup and I'll stand you a few at the bakery that makes your favourite cinnamon buns, OK?" In said as she drew a kunai as well.

"Yosh! Kurenai-san, your genin are most youthful!" Gai said exuberantly, "I shall burn my youthful flames to equal theirs or I shall run a hundred laps around Konoha on one hand!"

"Right. Let's just kick their asses already." Anko said as she ran to where the Inuzuka was getting up, swearing like a sailor.

"Indeed. Let us display our Flames of Youth for all to see!" shouted Gai as he ran to intercept the Hyuuga before he could rejoin Haruo.

Kurenai sighed. Oh hell. Looking at her so-new-they-still-squeak team, she read the determination in their faces. "Be careful." was all she said before rushing to join Anko.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Gai**

"Stand aside. The demon vessel must be slain." the Hyuuga said in a monotone. He was of the Main Family, Gai could see from his unmarked forehead. He was probably in his mid-twenties.

Gai frowned. "This is most unyouthful of you. Young Naruko is not the fox, she is the container of it."

"Indeed." Agreed the Hyuuga, surprising Gai slightly, "I have observed the seal with my _**Byakugan**_. It is utterly impossible for the Kyuubi to break out."

"Then why do you do this?" asked Gai as he slid smoothly into his _**Gōken**_ stance.

"Her very presence corrupts and taints the sanctity of Hinata-sama." The Hyuuga replied, a hint of disgust in his voice. He also slid into his ready stance, that of the _**Juken**_.

"Nonsense." Gai said dismissively, "If anything Naruko's presence causes Hinata-sama's youthful flames to reach new heights."

"It would seem we are at an impasse." Observed the Hyuuga as he tensed his body for combat.

"So it would seem." agreed Gai. The air around the two of them was thick and dense, with both chakra and tension.

A solitary leaf fluttered between the two and slowly drifted down to the ground between the two ninja. As it touched the ground, it was ripped into shreds by the clash between the two opposing taijutsu styles.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Kurenai and Anko**

"Outta the way!" The Inuzuka growled, "I'm gonna rip the fox into pieces and feed them to it which she's still breathing!"

"Hmmm…not imaginative enough." Anko said critically, "It's been done before."

"Anko," Kurenai said with a sweatdrop, "I don't think you should be critiquing him on his torture methods!"

"Y'think?" Anko asked with a pout, "But Nai-chan, everything he suggests is sooo boring! No imagination at all!"

"Oi!" Yelled the Inuzuka, looking offended. Anko ignored him.

Kurenai sighed and looked at the Inuzuka. "Naruko isn't the fox. She is the fox's jailer."

"I don't _give_ a crap!" The Inuzuka snarled back, "If _she_ dies, the _fox_ dies. It's as simple as that."

"Then why isn't your ninken here with you?" Anko asked pointedly, making the brash man flinch, "He refused to come because he knew you were wrong, jackass."

"_**Tsūga!**_" The Inuzuka yelled as he attacked.

"Idiot." Anko said as she dodged to the side.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with the Genin and the Naruko Army….**

"One chance, Yamanaka Haruo. Surrender." Naruko said flatly.

"Or what? Your little army will _prank_ _me_ to death?" Haruo scoffed dismissively, "You are no kunoichi, demon bitch. You have a couple of tricks, but that doesn't make you a shinobi."

"She's no traitor like you are at least!" Ino shouted at her distant cousin, "She's never attack fellow Konoha Ninja like you did with the _**Shinranshin no Jutsu (Mind Destruction Jutsu)**_!"

"You don't know what you're talking about, brat." Haruo growled.

"Illuminate me." Ino challenged him.

Haruo chuckled darkly. "No can do. It's an S-Rank secret, punishable by an _extremely_ painful death if revealed. Besides, I'm a loyal ninja of Konoha."

"Tch. Yeah right!" muttered, Ino, as her mind raced. S-Rank? Naruko had done something that deserved that high a secrecy classification?

"Ino-chan, ignore him." Naruko said firmly. "He's spewing poison because he knows that he's finished, 'loyal ninja of Konoha' or not."

"N-Naruko-chan's right." Hinata said, "W-we should capture him before he tries anymore Yamanaka Clan Jutsu."

"Right." Ino said shaking her head to clear it. What was she thinking, listening to the taunts of the enemy? She gripped the kunai she held in her hand tighter. She was about to charge the traitor to her clan when a Naruko-clone leaned in to whisper into her ear.

"We clones will be the cannon fodder. We are far more easily replaced than you or Hinata-chan." the clone whispered.

A shiver went down her spine as the clone's whispered words tickled her ear. '_What the heck?_' she thought with a small blush.

"Alright, first wave: Attack!" Naruko commanded. A hundred clones charged forward at the Yamanaka jonin with a roar.

Haruo beat off clone after clone with punches and kicks. When only a small group remained, he flipped through some handsigns.

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!)**_" He said as he raised his hand to his mouth and shot a fairly large ball of fire at the clones, destroying them.

Naruko stood with her arms crossed and her head cocked to one side, watching the jonin. Finally, she said, "You know, for a jonin, you aren't as…_fast_…as I would have thought."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Gai**

The two combatants separated from their clash, the Hyuuga being thrown back by a snap kick to the jaw, while Gai leapt back gracefully to land in his original pose again.

Spitting out some blood, the Hyuuga got to his feet, his eyes narrowed. "Who _are_ you? The _**Juken**_ is the supreme taijutsu style in all of Konoha, if not the world, yet you dodge my blows as if they were nothing." he said angrily.

"I am Maito Gai, the acknowledged Taijutsu Master of Konoha." Gai said seriously, "I am also Jonin-sensei to the Hyuuga Prodigy, Hyuuga Neiji, thus my knowledge of the _**Juken**_ surpasses that of any other non-Hyuuga."

"The Branch House whelp." The Hyuuga sneered, "Well, we shall see how you fair when I am using this: _**Byakugan!**_"

Settling into a more aggressive stance, the Hyuuga said, "I am Hyuuga Arashi of the Main Family. Prepare to die."

Shaking his head sorrowfully, Gai said, "You are most unyouthful. It seems I must beat some youth into you."

"Try if you can." The Hyuuga said scornfully before the two blurred into motion once again.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Anko and Kurenai**

When the Inuzuka stopped spinning and landed after his _**Tsūga**_, Anko was ready with a favourite technique of hers.

"_**Sen'eijashu! (Striking Shadow Snakes!)**_" Anko hissed, thrusting her arm out. Four snakes emerged from her sleeve, wrapped around the Inuzuka and sank their fangs into him.

"AAARRRGGGHHH! Snake Whore!" The Inuzuka snarled, "_**Tsūga!**_"

The desperation move worked, shredding the snakes into pieces, but ripped the wounds from the snake fangs open in the process.

"That's it. Keep moving." Anko crooned at the panting man, "The more you move, the faster the _venom_ in your blood will spread."

"You _did_ remember to use non-lethal venom didn't you?" Kurenai asked suspiciously.

"Of _course_ I did Nai-chan!" Anko retorted indignantly, then paused, "At least…I _think_ I did…meh. As long as we get him the antivenin, he'll be fine."

"Damn you!" The Inuzuka roared, "How dare you treat Inuzuka Shippo like this! _**Tenga!(Cutting Fang!)**_" He spun vertically this time rather than on his horizontal axis, becoming a giant buzz saw aimed at Anko.

She quickly _**Kawarimi'd (Substituted)**_ with a nearby branch and was interested to see the branch reduced to so much sawdust.

Turning to Kurenai with a forced smile on her face, Anko said, "Nai-chan, a bit of help here?"

"The things I do for you Anko…" Kurenai sighed as she weaved handsigns.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with Naruko….**

Haruo raised an eyebrow, "Say what?"

"Either you're holding back or you plain suck as a jonin." Naruko said insultingly. "You were barely moving faster than my clones and while that fireball was way bigger than anything Sasuke-teme ever did, it was still _far _from the biggest I've ever seen."

"Who made a bigger _**Gōkakyū**_ than mine?" Haruo asked, insulted.

"Sandaime-ji-chan." Naruko said. "He took me to his personal training field once as a birthday treat and showed me some of his favourite jutsu. The _**Gōkakyū**_ was one of them and his was twice the size of yours, at _least_."

Ino and Hinata looked awed. The Third Hokage was reputed to know every non-Kekkei Genkai Jutsu in Konoha. It was one reason why he was nicknamed 'Hakase' (Professor). To be shown some of his best jutsu was a tremendous honour, and he had done it as a treat for a little girl's birthday?

"Damn brat!" Haruo growled and started to run at the red clad kunoichi.

"Second wave, now!" Naruko commanded. A hundred shadow clones formed up in front of their original and her team and each threw either kunai or shuriken at Haruo, then clapped their hands.

"_**Futon: Reppūshō no Jutsu! (Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu!)**_" The hundred Shadow Clones chanted, causing a massive blast of wind to erupt from their hands. It swept towards Haruo and impacted on the weapons, speeding them up considerably.

"Shit! _**Doton: Doryūheki no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu!)**_" Haruo yelped in surprise as he slammed his hands on the ground, causing a section of the ground to erupt upwards in front of him just in time to block the incoming rain of metallic death. Haruo gulped when he heard the shuriken and kunai thud into the wall, as well as the fierce wind blowing over the wall.

'_That makes _two_ elemental jutsu she's used now, and she used the first one without any handsigns! Where the _hell_ did she learn them?_' The jonin thought frantically.

Naruko's team were asking their teammate the same thing.

"Oh, those? Part of my inheritance was a Jutsu Library. Last night, I was up late practicing those two jutsu with a couple of hundred _**Kage Bunshin**_, which lets me learn things faster, sorta. Anyway, I only have those two down, so we'll have to get serious now." Naruko said with a slight frown.

"That seemed plenty serious to me." Ino said looking at the earth wall studded with weaponry.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Gai**

The two battling ninja moved so gracefully that, were it not for the fact that they were trying to do serious harm to one another, it might even be called a work of art.

Kicks were lashed out, only to be dodged or blocked. Punches were countered, jabs were exchanged, all taking place at a speed that most shinobi would find hard to match for any length of time.

The two combatants separated once again, with the Hyuuga looking frustrated.

'_How can this be? I cannot close a single one of his tenketsu. It's almost like fighting Hiashi-sama; he knows precisely how I'm going to move even as I decide to do it._' Hyuuga Arashi thought angrily, '_Fine. He leaves me no choice._'

Gai, on the other hand, was enjoying himself immensely. '_Ah, now this is most youthful! A clash of warriors fighting for dominance over the other! I should really challenge my eternal rival to another match soon._'

Elsewhere, Hatake Kakashi shivered as he had a bad feeling Gai was thinking about challenging him to another 'youthful contest'.

"Stubborn, aren't you?" Arashi said as he glared at the spandex-clad ninja.

"I have been called such before by unyouthful people such as you." Gai conceded.

"Humph. You would do well to stand aside now; else you shall not live to regret your defiance." Arashi said pointedly.

"_That_ I doubt." Gai chuckled humourlessly, "Such words have been spoken to me by _far _more fearsome foes than you, and yet here I stand."

"They were not of the Hyuuga Clan." Arashi said arrogantly. "Now…you are within range of my divination." The Hyuuga adopted a low stance with a hand extended before him and the other arched behind him.

"_**Jūkenhō: Hakke Rokujūyon Shō! (Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams, Sixty-Four Palms!)**_" Arashi said coldly as he began the signature attack of the Hyuuga Main Branch…

…..Only for his foe to vanish from his sight! Arashi could not believe it. The man he had been about to trounce with his best technique had simply vanished without a trace! Arashi pushed his _**Byakugan**_ to the very limit of its range, but found no sign of his opponent anywhere within ten kilometres in any direction, which should be impossible! Only the Yondaime Hokage had ever moved such a distance in less time than it took to blink!

"YOUTH!" Gai roared as he erupted from the ground beneath Arashi and grabbed him around his waist.

"What the-?" Arashi got out before he was thrown to the ground and pinned there.

"_**Jibun Rūru! (One's Own Rule!)**_" Gai roared as he head butted the Hyuuga in the stomach.

"If I can't do 100 push-ups in five seconds…Cossack dance time!" The spandex-clad ninja declared. Moving so fast he blurred, pushing up and down with incredible speed, head butting the Hyuuga in the stomach every time he lowered himself.

"VICTORY!" Gai celebrated. He had succeeded in his self-appointed challenge! Then he noticed his 'training partner' staggering to his feet clutching his stomach. Grinning with those shiny teeth of his, he spun in a miniature twister.

"_**Konoha Seishun **__**Ekusasaizu! (Leaf Youth Exercise!)**_" Gai yelled enthusiastically as he kicked the still recovering Hyuuga with the full force of his muscles _and_ the centrifugal force of the spin, sending him crashing into a tree, blissfully unconscious.

The spandex clad ninja wiped off the remains of dirt from his jumpsuit. It had been a while since he had used ninjutsu. His _**Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu (Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu)**_ was the perfect way to sneak up on a Hyuuga. Rather than a perfect sphere as most would believe, the _**Byakugan**_ only gave them a large 'dome' of sight, most of that directed to the sky and 360-degrees around them, leaving only a small amount of sight beneath the earth, reaching perhaps three feet down at most. A glaring weakness and one that the Branch Family was well aware of. Evidently, The Main Family was unaware of this weakness.

"Hmmm." Gai regarded the defeated form of his opponent with a slight frown, "I _may_ have overdone it _just_ a touch…"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Anko and Kurenai**

"_**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu. (Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu.)**_" Kurenai whispered as she completed her handsigns.

To Shippo, she vanished in a swirl of leaves. He looked around groggily as he felt himself getting weaker. The venom in his body was beginning to affect his body more and more, making his head spin. He had to wrap this up quickly.

Suddenly the world turned red. Blood appeared on the ground, next to dead bodies, ones he recognised easily as they bore the fang-tattoo marks of the Inuzuka on their faces. Shippo looked around in horror, seeing the entire Inuzuka Clan, ninken and all, lying dead around him, cut to pieces.

The shock of his worst fear, the one thing he fervently wished to never see, combined with the venom Anko's snakes had injected into him was too much for him. Shippo's last thought before he fell into unconsciousness was '_I really hate genjutsu, damn it…_'

As Inuzuka Shippo collapsed, Kurenai was grateful for the fact. The look of sheer broken despair on his face at whatever it was he saw under the genjutsu's effect had been startlingly bleak. Then again, she had never used this particular genjutsu on an Inuzuka before, so Kurenai supposed that this was useful information.

Anko tied the comatose Inuzuka up with some escape-proof rope she carried around with her on the off chance of something like this happening. The T&amp;I kunoichi grinned at her friend.

"Boy, am I glad that you asked me to help with your genin Nai-chan. I haven't had this much fun in a long time!" Anko said with relish.

Kurenai rolled her eyes. "Only you would find being attacked by two jonin and a chunin with the intent of killing one of your students fun."

Anko looked serious for a moment. "I think they were going to try and kill all of us, Nai-chan. There's no way that the other two gakis would stand by and let their friend's death go un-avenged and you and me would be right there next to 'em, you know that."

Kurenai frowned and conceded the point to her friend. "I suppose.."

She was interrupted by the incoming green blur that was Maito Gai. He appeared with his usual shiny grin and had a beaten and battered Hyuuga in one hand.

"Kami, Gai, don't you think you when just a _little_ overboard on him?" Kurenai said as she massaged her temples to try to stave off the incipient headache she had.

Gai smiled somewhat sheepishly and opened his mouth to say something, when a howling gale of wind blew past the three jonin, staggering them.

"What the hell was that?" asked Anko as she smoothed her ruffled trench coat back into its usual appearance.

"It came from were the children are fighting Haruo." Kurenai said, worry in her voice.

"I am sure they are doing most youthfully well, Kurenai-san!" Gai boomed in his 'nice guy' pose, "Let us go and observe their youthful flames explode!"

"Uh-huh, yeah, whatever." Anko said absently as she tied up the Hyuuga. Not that the guy was going anywhere, as badly beaten as he was. He would need a quick trip to the hospital before he could be interrogated.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko and Friends**

Haruo decided that enough was enough. The damn demon bitch had made him look stupid in the last two minutes and he was getting worried about his compatriots. He was neither as insular and arrogant as Arashi, nor as stupid and brash as Shippo. He knew who and what Maito Gai was. While he was confident in his own skill enough to face a freshly promoted Jonin and the Snake Whore at once, he was _not_ stupid enough to face an Elite Jonin on top of that.

He just hoped Arashi could hold out until he did what needed to be done. Haruo formed the Tiger Handsign and began gathering and compressing chakra for the jutsu that he hoped would slay the demon bitch for once and for all.

Naruko could feel the chakra being built up by Haruo. There was so much of it that the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. It wasn't anywhere near Kage level, but it was becoming dense enough that it made up for its lack of quantity with its quality.

"Take Hinata-chan and Ino-chan a safe distance away from here!" Naruko ordered some of her clones, voice sharp with tension.

"No way!" Ino protested, "We're a team! We'll fight this guy together, Naruko!"

Ignoring Ino, Naruko looked at Hinata. "Hinata-chan, what's that guy doing with his chakra?"

Hinata paused then said, "_**Byakugan!**_" and looked in the direction Haruo's _**Doryūhek**_i was and gasped. "H-He's concentrating his chakra-in his lungs. I-I think it's fire-natured!"

"That's why you need to get out of here!" Naruko said to Ino urgently, but she could tell from the set of her jaw that the stubborn Yamanaka wouldn't budge willingly. Nodding to her Shadow Clones, Naruko turned away as Ino and Hinata were bodily picked up and carried away, despite their protests, by several of them.

Just as the group of shadow clones reached the edge of the field, Haruo roared the name of his best jutsu as he used it.

"_**Katon: **__**Gōryūka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu!)**_" Came from behind the earth wall before it was blown apart by an enormous ball of flames shaped like a snarling dragon.

It sped at Naruko's location with impressive speed, burning the grass up to three meters away as it passed.

The dragon burned through Shadow Clones as they attempted to block it until it finally reached where Naruko stood impassively, whereupon it exploded on contact with the earth, creating a huge blast that sent heat across the entire field.

"NARUKOOOOO!" Hinata and Ino screamed in horror at having witnessed their teammates burned to a crisp before them. Around them, the mass of Naruko-clones dispersed in puffs of chakra smoke.

The three jonin watching were horrified at the sight of the pyre that was where Naruko once stood.

Haruo, on the other hand, stood up shakily. He had used up _far_ too much chakra using that Katon jutsu and knew he would not get away. Nevertheless, it would be worth it. He had finally done it!

"Aha…ahahahahahahahahaha!" Haruo laughed hysterically, "I did it! The demon bitch is _dead_! Not even her _bones_ remain! Ahahahahaha!"

Ino and Hinata charged at the man who so ruthlessly slain their teammate and even dared to insult her even in death. Ino tried to kick him, but Haruo caught her leg and threw her away dismissively.

Hinata, who had instinctively activated her _**Byakugan**_ in her rage, snarled out the traditional start of the 'Hyuuga Final Move' declaration that Arashi had used not five minutes ago, even as she assumed the same position he had.

"You are within range of my divination! _**Jūkenhō: Hakke Sanjūni Shō! (Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams, Thirty-Two Palms!)**_" Hinata growled out, making Haruo's eyes widen in surprise. According to the scuttlebutt around town, as well as Arashi, the Hyuuga Heiress was unskilled in the family art and had not been taught anything more than the basic katas as a result.

"_**Ni**__**shō! (Two Palms!)**_" Yelled Hinata, striking at Haruo's forearms, sealing the _tenketsu_.

"_**Yon**__**shō! (Four Palms!)**_" Two more consecutive strikes across the chest.

"_**Hachi**__**shō! (Eight Palms!)**_" Four strikes to the abdomen.

"_**Jūrokushō! (Sixteen Palms!)**_" Eight strikes to the upper legs and arms.

"_**Hakke, Sanjūni **__**Shō**__**! (Eight Trigrams, Thirty-Two Palms!)**_" Hinata screamed as she dealt the last sixteen blows all across the man's body, the sheer force of the chakra blasting him back slightly.

'_D-Damn! I can barely feel my arms and legs! I can't channel chakra at all!_' Haruo thought angrily as he fell to his knees.

Hinata, panting at the effort, glared at Haruo. "Why…? Why did you kill her?!" she demanded harshly, tears flowing freely. Ino walked up beside her, her own eyes damp with tears, and put a comforting hand on her shoulder

"She deserved to die!" Haruo spat back, "She killed my mother twelve years ago!"

"SHE WAS JUST A BABY THEN, YOU FOOL!" Hinata screeched back, incensed by the man's seeming stupidity. She raised her hand to deliver the final blow, when a loud screaming sound reached her ears. It sounded strangely familiar.

"….AAAAAGGGHHHH! I'mgonnadie, I'mgonnadie!" could be heard across the entire field but, Hinata couldn't see anyone. She jumped when Ino's hand suddenly tightened painfully on her shoulder.

"Look!" The Yamanaka shouted as she pointed at the sky. Hinata whirled around and used the telescopic vision of her _**Byakugan**_ to zoom in on a rapidly falling dot in the sky.

"Naruko…?" Hinata breathed hopefully.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko**

Uzumaki Naruko, albeit somewhat burnt and sooty, was perfectly fine. If you could call plummeting to her death from kami-knows-how-high in the sky 'fine'.

'_Yeah…_really_ got to work on my chakra control…and on my impulsiveness…before it kills me…if I survive this…_' Naruko thought in a surprisingly calm way, even as she screamed her plentiful lungs out, as she thought back to a coupler of minutes ago.

_{Flashback}_

_Naruko had her arms crossed as she watched the incoming fireball that Yamanaka Haruo had fired at her approach. She noted, almost distantly, that such was the heat of the __**Gōryūka**__ that her clones were being destroyed even as it touched them._

'Well, this is a pickle._' Naruko thought clinically, '_None of my jutsu will work on this thing. Heck, the _**Reppūshō **_will just make it worse. It's way too fast and big to dodge either. What should I do here?_'_

_Naruko frowned slightly before she had an idea. '_Wait. Ji-chan told me once that channelling chakra to your limbs makes them much stronger, but you need to have good chakra control or you can rip your muscles and tendons apart._'_

_Weighing her choices for a split second -Get burned to ash or possibly not be able to move for a while until the damn fox heals her up- Naruko chose the obvious one._

'Here goes nothing!_' she thought as the burning hot aura of the powerful jutsu washed over her. Waiting until the last possible second, Naruko squatted, channelled as much chakra to her legs as she could, and then jumped up with all her strength._

_She moved in a red blur that none of the others on the field saw as they had been focussing on the __**Gōryūka**__ before it impacted on where she had been standing. Her chakra was so disturbed by sudden shift that her clones were dispelled. She flew high up into the sky, out of the sensor bubble that detected all things coming into Konoha and up further into the sky._

_Her legs burnt with pain beyond anything that Naruko had felt during her training, so she guessed that she had indeed damaged her muscles somewhat._

_That could wait until later. The more important thing right now was to stop going higher, or she might die once she came back to earth. She discarded several possible ideas involving __**Kage Bunshin**__ before hitting on an idea that might work._

"_**Futon: Reppūshō!**__" Naruko said, deliberately using more chakra than she needed to use in the jutsu. The result sent her falling back to earth like a cannon shot._

"_AAAAAGGGHHHH! I'mgonnadie, I'mgonnadie!" She screamed as the training field came into sight once again._

_{Flashback End}_

'_Maybe I should have tried just the regular amount of chakra._' Naruko thought as she fell further towards the field. Definitely something to think about if this happens again. Naruko peered at the field intently.

Naruko's eyes, while not telescopic like the _**Byakugan**_, were still very sharp so she could see the field fairly well by this point, including the people in it. She focussed on the amazing sight of kind, gentle Hinata beat Haruo up with the taijutsu move she had been struggling to learn in secret, so she could impress her father.

She screamed again and saw her teammates turn to look at her. She thought that they had been crying, which was sad. She was certain that Ino was going to kick her ass when she got down, maybe Hinata and Kurenai-sensei as well.

Naruko's eyes widened as she saw Haruo attempt to stand up. He was shaking off the effects of Hinata's _**Hakke Sanjūni Shō**_ _already_? That shouldn't be possible. It might not be as strong as the _**Rokujūyon **__**Shō**_, but the lesser version was still debilitating enough to disable a jonin-level ninja for at least half an hour, or so Hinata said she had read in the scroll.

Deciding that the how of the matter was unimportant for now, Naruko decided to take the bastard out before he tried to hurt her friends again. Making a pair of shadow clones, she had them throw her feet first at Haruo, followed by a _**Futon: Reppūshō**_ to speed her up a bit.

"Ino, Hinata, MOVE! NOW!" she roared as she started spinning like an Inuzuka.

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**With Hinata and Ino**

When Hinata heard Naruko talk to her, she was giddy that she was still alive. When Naruko addressed her _without honorifics_, she almost fainted. But when Naruko ordered her to move in that tone of voice, she moved without even thinking about it, grabbing Ino and jumping to the side.

She saw Naruko start to spin in a similar fashion to the Inuzuka Clan technique _**Tsūga**_ and wondered why. Then Naruko's voice resonated over the field.

"_**Uzumaki Taijutsu Ougi: **__**Uzumaki Tenkyaku! (Uzumaki Taijutsu Secret Technique: Spiral Heaven Kick!)**_" Was heard by everyone just before the spinning form of Naruko slammed into its target -Yamanaka Haruo, who had just made it to his feet and drawn a kunai.

Totally unprepared for the sudden impact, Haruo was caught in the chest by the kick, which had had it's power increased by the throw of the clones, the _**Reppūshō**_ and the spin, so it was not surprising that the man was sent flying back across the field to slam into a tree, which cracked under the impact.

Naruko, on the other hand, had kicked off of Haruo just before he slammed into the tree and had landed somewhat awkwardly on the ground. Panting with the exertion, she looked up as her other team members ran over, along with her two senseis and the weird man in spandex.

"H-Hey." Naruko said with a pained smile. Her legs were _really_ sore right now.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Ino shouted at her angrily, fresh tears falling from her eyes as relief made itself known, "You damn well almost died! What were you thinking?!"

"T-That you should have run when I had told you." Naruko said bluntly, a grimace crossing her face as she tried -and failed- to stand up., "If you'd moved as soon as I told you to, I would have been able to do something _other_ than almost die there."

"Brat's got a point." Anko said offhandedly, "In a battle, you should obey the leader without question."

"There was no leader!" Ino protested shrilly. "We're all genin."

"Naruko was the one to do almost all of the fighting and all of the strategy." Anko replied looking at Naruko, who was visibly trembling now, "Right, gaki?"

"I…I guess so." Naruko grunted as she gave up trying to stand and instead flopped on her behind. Her red trench coat was singed at the edge of the bottom, but not much further than that. "I didn't really have an overall strategy other than 'beat him all to hell' though."

"Doesn't matter, you were the leader." Anko said decisively as she turned to regard Ino with hard eyes, "She told you to do something because she sensed the chakra build-up for the _**Gōryūka**_. She even had your teammate tell you that a dangerous jutsu was about to be launched at her and you still refused to obey her, meaning she had to waste precious seconds to get you both to safety."

Ino's face paled. "But-"

"No buts. Yes, the brat did something reckless and stupid, but you did something moronic: you let your pride rule in the middle of a battle." Anko said mercilessly.

Kurenai walked over from where she had been securing Haruo. "Alright, that's enough, all of you. We can continue this at a later time. For now, we need to get these three traitors to holding cells and these three genin to hospital."

Naruko paled more than Ino. "Aw no, not hospital!" she whined, "I hate it there!"

"Then you can consider it punishment for doing whatever it is you did that damaged your legs to the point you can barely move." Kurenai told her bluntly.

"I shall take our most unyouthful prisoners to the ANBU." Gai said, doing his 'nice guy' pose yet again, "And Naruko…I shall come to talk to you about that most youthful attack you just performed. You truly are full of the Flames of Youth!"

With those words, he vanished in a Shunshin, taking with him the three trussed up ninja, and leaving behind one horrified Uzumaki Naruko.

"AAARRGGHH!" She yelled, "Hospital _and_ Mr Super Bushy-Brows? Someone kill me now!"

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**Next Chapter: En'ō Kago-te, Secrets Revealed**

**Authors Note: That's it. Read and Review Please!**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with Emboldened names are one I created.**

_Any Jutsu with their Name in Italic are computer game jutsu that I have borrowed and given a rank. I claim no jutsu so highlighted as my own._

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Tsūga - Tunnelling Fang

Rank: D

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _After using the __Shikyaku no Jutsu (Four-Legs Jutsu), an Inuzuka spins him/herself into a tornado and inflicts beast-like attacks as they rotate. More effective with a ninken partner._

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DYNAMIC ENTRY

Rank: D

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A jumping kick to the head from a blind spot. Often used after a kunai is thrown as a distraction, it is surprisingly effective against the unwary._

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Konoha Daisenkō - Great Leaf Flash

Rank: High-D

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _An extremely swift and powerful lateral kick to the head that will almost certainly send the target flying should it connect._

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Gōken - Strong Fist

Rank: N/A

Type: _Taijutsu Style, Offensive_

Effect: _A taijutsu style used by Maito Gai as his main style. Makes the user more powerful the more he uses it. Only used by shinobi of the physically imposing type. The polar opposite of the Hyuuga Juken._

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Juken - Gentle Fist

Rank: N/A

Type: _Taijutsu Style, Offensive_

Effect: _The taijutsu style used by the Hyuuga Clan and, with the near destruction of the Kaguya Clan of Kirigakure, reputed to be the deadliest taijutsu style in the world. Using their Kekkei Genkai, The Byakugan, to view the chakra network, the user is able to inject their chakra into the chakra system of the opponent wherever they choose. This style is almost useless without the Byakugan. Polar opposite of the Gōken._

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Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu - Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive_

Effect: _A Katon jutsu created by the Uchiha Clan, this jutsu is used as the Rite of Passage into Adulthood among that Clan. It creates either a single large fireball which is launched at the opponent or emits a continuous stream of fire similar to a flamethrower._

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Sen'eijashu - Striking Shadow Snakes

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Time-Space Ninjutsu_

Effect:_ A sub-variety of the Kuchiyose no Jutsu, this summons up to four snakes from a thrust out limb which then enwrap and bite the target. A snake can even be summoned from the mouth._

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Tenga - Cutting Fang

Rank: C

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A solo version of the Gatenga (Spinning Fangs). In this technique, the Inuzuka rolls forward at incredible speed, inflicting damage with beast like attacks. More effective with a ninken partner._

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Kawarimi no Jutsu - Substitution Jutsu

Rank: E

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _A basic Academy level Jutsu. Replaces oneself with another object, generically a log. Unlike the Bunshin no Jutsu, this Jutsu is widely used by almost all ninja._

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Futon: Reppūshō no Jutsu - Wind Style: Gale Palm Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _By clapping their hands, the user unleashes a strong wind capable of knocking down a grown human. Used more for it's effect on speeding up weaponry thrown before this jutsu is used, making them faster and hit harder._

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Doton: Doryūheki no Jutsu - Earth Style: Mud Wall Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Defensive_

Effect: _Creates a wall made of earth, either by spitting out mud from the mouth, or by manipulating pre-existing earth. Each wall differs with every user. Resistant to fire and water._

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_Jibun Rūru - One's Own Rule_

Rank: Mid-C

Type: _Offensive, Taijutsu_

Effect: _An…unusual technique, Jibun Rūru starts off with the user pinning the opponent. They then attempt to achieve 100 push-ups…in less than 5 seconds, head butting the enemy in the stomach or lower back every time he lowers himself to end a push-up. Surprisingly damaging if the head in question is Maito Gai's head._

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_Konoha Seishun __Ekusasaizu - Leaf Youth Exercise_

Rank: C

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _By spinning around until their body is a blur, the user adds a great deal of centrifugal force to the roundhouse kick unleashed at the execution point of this technique._

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Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu - Earth Style: Hidden Mole Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _The user uses his chakra to turn the earth beneath and around them into fine sand, allowing them to swim through it like water. Useful for surprise attacks and trying to get away from foes._

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Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: Death Mirage Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _Forces the victim to view the one thing they never, ever want to have to see. Mental trauma depends on the image. In the hands of a genjutsu mistress, this is an extremely effective tool._

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Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu - Fire Style: Great Dragon Fire Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _The user builds up a large amount of chakra and compresses it within themselves. When it is released, it is shaped into a snarling dragon. This jutsu burns so hot that it can create thunderclouds due to rising air currents. Anyone caught by this jutsu is reduced to ashes._

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Jūkenhō: Hakke Sanjūni Shō - Gentle Fist Art: Eight Trigrams, Thirty-Two Palms

Rank: N/A

Type: _Offensive, Taijutsu_

Effect: _A lesser form of the Hyuuga main Branch's signature taijutsu attack, this is still a daunting attack to be on the receiving end of. By striking at thirty-two of the 361 tenketsu, the user seals away some of the target's chakra and makes it somewhat more difficult to move for some time._

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**Uzumaki Taijutsu Ougi: ****Uzumaki Tenkyaku - Uzumaki Taijutsu Secret Technique: Spiral Heaven Kick**

Rank: Low-A

Type: _Taijutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _An unusual taijutsu move. This combines the Dynamic Entry, the spinning principle of the Tsūga, Futon: Reppūshō as well as Kage Bunshin. Created by Uzumaki Naruko to deal with Rogue Jonin Yamanaka Haruo. First, the user is thrown feet first at the opponent. Next, the two shadow clones speed the user up with Reppūshō before dispelling. Finally, the user spins around similar to the Tsūga. The total impact from this jutsu is not to be underestimated._


	5. En'ō Kago-te, Secrets Revealed

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine. Last time I tried to claim that he used the thousand years of death on me…OW!**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 5: En****'****ō Kago-te, Secrets Revealed.**

**Timeskip - 3 Hours later**

**Uzumaki Naruko's Private Room, Konoha Hospital**

A pouting blond lay on the hospital bed. Naruko wanted to go home, dammit, but the damned doctors would not let her until her Ji-chan had a word with her and he was late! Her legs had stopped burning over an hour ago!

Naruko had always hated the hospital ever since a nurse had tried to poison her when she was four. She had survived because of her strong immune system and healing factor, or so she had been told at the time. Now she knew it was the Kyuubi's influence purging the poison from her system or something.

She was just about to try to escape, when the door opened and her Ji-chan stepped through the door, making Naruko's face light up. Finally, she could escape the hell that was hospital!

"Ji-chan!" she called, sitting up in bed. Sarutobi had to smile at her obvious relief at seeing him, as she knew she could only leave after talking with him.

"Well Naruko-chan, it seems that you have a habit of rooting out dissenters and traitors." Sarutobi said as he sat in the chair next to the bed with a sigh.

"Ehehehehe…" Naruko grinned in embarrassment as she chuckled. "I don't mean to, Ji-chan. They just come crawling out of the woodwork."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Evidently." His face then became serious. "Naruko, I will not push you, but I believe you should consider telling your teammates about your burden."

Naruko paled at this suggestion. "What…! NO! No way!" she stammered in shock, "I can't! They'll hate me!"

"Naruko, I was watching the entire battle between you and Yamanaka Haruo from start to finish and I can assure you that the thought of you being dead was horrific to the both of them." Sarutobi said with a frown. He had known the idea of her friends finding out about the Kyuubi would terrify her, but with the Genin Housing Act, they would all be living together and it would be close to impossible to hide it for long with Ino, the daughter of one of the best interrogators in ANBU T&amp;I and Hinata, wielder of one of the Three Great Dōjutsu, in close contact with Naruko almost 24/7.

Deciding that to put any more pressure on her would be a bad idea, Sarutobi said, "very well. I could order you to tell them, but I won't."

"Eh? Why?" Asked a visibly relieved Naruko.

"A quick tip on being a leader, Naruko-chan: A good leader _never_ issues an order to someone that they know will not be obeyed, because when the order _is_ eventually disobeyed, it reduces the leader's credibility with their subordinates and makes them look foolish." Sarutobi said with a smile.

"Hai, Ji-chan." Naruko nodded.

"I will, however, ask that you keep an open mind about it." Sarutobi continued, "Spend time with them, get to know them better than you do yourself. Then think about telling them. OK?"

Naruko nodded again slowly, then her wyes widened. "Ji-chan, are Ino-chan and Hinata-chan alright? They're not hurt are they?"

Sarutobi chuckled. "No, no, they're both perfectly fine. Hiashi and Inoichi picked them up a while ago. They said to pass on their thanks for protecting their daughters."

Naruko smiled softly. "As long as my friends are fine, all's good." she whispered so quietly Sarutobi had to strain to hear her.

'_And the civilians think she's a heartless demon? Fools!_' Sarutobi thought as he gazed at his surrogate granddaughter.

"Well then, I suppose I had better be going." he said at last as he stood up.

"Hell yeah!" Naruko cheered, "I'm getting out of here!"

"Ah, not yet." Sarutobi said, making her pause, then realisation dawned on her with a look of horror, which grew with his next words, "I believe one Maito Gai wishes to…how did he put it….ah yes, '_Aid you in fanning your Flames of Youth_', I believe he said. He was _most_ impressed by that last kick you used on Haruo."

Naruko was mouthing the words 'Flames of Youth' soundlessly in abject terror.

"Oh yes. I'll be coming over today to summon Enma and Enki as I have a feeling you'll be busy tomorrow." Sarutobi said with a grin before vanishing in a Shunshin.

Before Naruko could do more than blink, a familiar figure in a green spandex leotard ran into the room, bellowing, "HELLO, NARUKO-SAN AND A MOST YOUTHFUL GREETING TO YOU!"

The yell, "**Damn it all, Ji-chan!**" swiftly followed the first yell with admirable alacrity.

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**Dining Room, Yamanaka Flower Shop, around the same time…**

Ino sat at the dining table, a scowl across her pretty face as she looked at the table moodily. She had tried to see Naruko after she had had her check-up, but both Hinata and herself had been told she wasn't allowed to see visitors.

'_What the hell is going on?_' Ino thought angrily, '_My cousin comes out of nowhere to try and kill Naruko, because he believes she killed his mother twelve years ago. Not only that, he blew up her house and whatever it is that he believes Naruko did is an S-Rank secret._'

The platinum blond kunoichi sighed as she thought about everything. It just didn't make sense!

From the door, Inoichi watched his daughter with the experienced eye of both a father and an interrogator. He knew his little princess well enough that he knew that once she got fed up of chewing over the information she had, she would start asking questions, questions that Inoichi couldn't answer because of the law. She was a born interrogator.

'_If I head in now, I can head off her questions with a small white lie and a small distraction._' the elder Yamanaka thought quickly.

"Princess." Inoichi called as he walked into the dining room with a smile.

"Oh, hi daddy." Ino said distractedly.

"Ino." he said seriously, which drew his daughter's immediate attention. Inoichi rarely called her anything but the pet name he had given her as a little girl, so this had to be serious.

"I am proud of you for standing with your friend against a superior opponent, princess." he told her with a smile. Ino flushed slightly at this.

"You must be curious as to why Haruo tried to kill your teammate, correct?" Inoichi said with certainty.

"Yes, I am. It's been driving me batty!" Ino replied, aggravation in her voice.

"Well, I can tell you my suspicions on why he tried if you'd like?" he offered casually.

"Wait, you don't know?" Ino asked. Inoichi laughed.

"Not even the Yamanaka Clan fully understands the working of the mind, Princess." he said wryly. Ino nodded in agreement, not noticing he had effectively dodged her question.

"Well now, where to begin…" Inoichi mused aloud, "I don't suppose you know when Naruko's birthday is, do you?"

"Actually, I do." Ino chirped, "She was born on The Day of The Kyuubi."

Inoichi raised his eyebrow. "How'd you find out?"

"Naruko told me and Hinata yesterday when she told us who her mother was." Ino smiled as she remembered how happy Naruko had been.

"Hokage-sama told her? Good, now I can tell Naruko a bit about her mother." Inoichi said.

"Wait, you knew?" Ino asked, stunned.

"Kushina-sama was a very famous kunoichi, Ino. She had many enemies. Powerful, _dangerous_ enemies who wouldn't think twice about harming a little girl as an act of revenge-by-proxy. Naruko needed to be protected from that until she could protect herself." Inoichi told his daughter, who looked disgusted at the thought of people who would do such a thing to a defenceless baby.

"Anyway, because of the day she was born on, a lot of people believe that Naruko is the Kyuubi reborn. Haruo is one of them." Inoichi said in a carefully neutral tone.

"What?" Ino said, dumbfounded, "That has to be among the most _stupid_ and ridiculous thing I have ever heard! People really _believe_ that rubbish?"

"Sadly, yes. The Kyuubi slew so many people and caused so much destruction that the hatred caused by it, even with its defeat, needed to be directed somewhere." Inoichi said, "Who better, to their minds, than the _only_ child born that day?"

"It's still stupid." Ino muttered.

"I agree." Inoichi said, "But I don't think you should talk to Naruko about this unless she brings it up herself. It's a very sensitive topic for her."

"Got it. Thanks daddy." Ino said with a smile.

"No problem Princess." Inoichi replied with a smile, "Now, I heard that Haruo used the _**Shinranshin no Jutsu**_ on you?"

"Yeah, I had to fight my friends. It sucked." Ino said, glowering at the memory.

"How'd you like to learn it?" Inoichi asked with a grin.

Ino returned his grin. "I'd like that a lot, daddy"

**RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR**

**Hokage Tower, Two Hours Later**

Sarutobi was pleasantly surprised that Kakashi was actually on time for a change. He must have taken his warning seriously. The other Jonin looked shocked. Asuma dropped his cigarette, Kurenai tried to dispel a genjutsu and Anko just blinked slowly.

Deciding to give Kakashi a bit of space, Sarutobi cleared his throat and began to speak, "Alright, now we are all here, give me your reports on your genin teams please."

"Team 1 Failed."

"Team 2, Failed."

"Team 3, Failed."

"Team 4, Failed."

"Team 5, Failed."

"Team 6…passed." said the sickly Gekkō Hayate.

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "Really? An all-civilian team passed?"

Hayate coughed. "Hai, Hokage-sama. My team, comprised of Matsura Ami, Kūfū Kasumi and Hann'ya Fuki all passed the assigned test."

"I see…" Sarutobi mused, "As they are all civilians, they are prohibited from taking part in the Chunin Selection Exams for the period of a year at the very least. Understood?"

"Hai. They passed through Ami's force of will more than anything else so it'll take a while to beat them into shape." Hayate said with another cough.

"Good. Kakashi?" Sarutobi said.

"Team 7...passes…barely." Kakashi said lazily. This elicited the room to blink almost as one.

"Indeed?" Sarutobi asked.

"They failed the main part of the test, but passed the second layer with some difficulty." Kakashi elaborated, "The Uchiha is more of an arrogant brat than I thought and almost made them fail. They will need some serious teambuilding exercises before I consider them ready for more serious training."

"Don't teach teambuilding to the exclusion of all else, Kakashi." Sarutobi warned, "Individual skills are just as important as teamwork."

"Hai Hokage-sama, I will give your advice due consideration." Kakashi said monotonously.

The Third Hokage twitched at this blatant brush off, but let it go. "Kurenai?"

"Team 8 passes with flying colours." Kurenai said with pride and Anko grinned as well.

"The gakis have talent. The Yamanaka needs to be 'defangirled' before she'll be of much use, but the other two can carry her dead weight until Nai-chan and I beat some sense into her -which shouldn't take all that long."

Sarutobi hide a smirk. "So noted. Asuma?"

"Team 10, passes." his son said lazily, "Shino and Shikamaru figured the test out in less than a minute and Choji trusted Shikamaru enough to follow his orders."

"Very good." Sarutobi said, "Kakashi, Kurenai, Anko, Asuma, you four stay behind. The rest of you are dismissed. Hayate, be here at midday tomorrow, along with your team."

Once the room had emptied somewhat, Sarutobi settled back in his chair with a sigh. "Kurenai, brief Kakashi and Asuma on what occurred at Training Ground 8 earlier today."

Kurenai briefly outlined Yamanaka Haruo, Hyuuga Arashi and Inuzuka Shippo's attack on Naruko, complete with Naruko's mastery of the _**Kage Bunshin,**_ her use of _**Teppōdama**_ _**and Reppūshō**_, Hinata's unexpected mastery of her family's taijutsu and of course Naruko's final attack that defeated Haruo, her _**Uzumaki Tenkyaku (Spiral Heaven Kick)**_.

"You're kidding me?" Asuma asked in disbelief, "She mastered a Suiton jutsu, albeit a basic one, to the point that she used it seallessly _in one day?_"

"_That's_ the part that astonishes you?" Kakashi asked, in a bored voice, "I find the fact that she used the ninjutsu that the Nidaime created but couldn't use worthy of astonishment."

Asuma waved his hand dismissively. "She can do that because of the ludicrous chakra reserves the Kyuubi gives her by hosting it. Mastering a _jutsu_, on the other hand…"

"Regarding that, Umino Iruka came to me last night to inform me that Naruko sent a Shadow Clone to him with questions regarding the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_. Evidently, she used that little lesson to her advantage." Sarutobi said with a proud smile.

Realisation dawned on the Jonin. "Of course! Because shadow clones send their original all of their memories, they make the perfect training tools for Naruko." Kurenai exclaimed with wide eyes. Then she frowned.

"I'm not sure I like my student going to another teacher for advice." she said.

"Iruka-kun is the only teacher who hasn't sabotaged Naruko's education, Kurenai." Sarutobi pointed out, "She regards him as one of the more trustworthy people in her life, as something similar to a brother or father, and she has known him a lot longer than you, so it's quite natural that she would turn to him for advice."

"Point, Nai-chan." Anko remarked. Kurenai scowled, but nodded in acceptance.

Anko grinned. "I wanna know when she thought up that kick though. Gai said the taijutsu part was mixing his own _**Dynamic Entry**_ with the Inuzuka's _**Tsūga**_. I dunno about the _**Tsūga**_, but I know she only saw Gai's move once."

"She thought it up on pure instinct, I'll wager." Sarutobi replied, "Naruko is very much like her mother in that she learns best by doing rather than being told, a trait that is further increased when she is under pressure. Right before she used the…what was it again...ah yes…_**Uzumaki Tenkyaku**_, she saw Haruo try to get up, with her friends right in front of him.

That meant, to Naruko, that she had to do something to protect her friends. I doubt she really thought about what she was doing. As for the name…I recall telling her once about Tsunade's _**Tsūtenkyaku (Heaven Kick of Pain)**_."

All the jonin winced at the name of that technique. Tsunade of the Sannin used it mostly to intimidate debt collectors. Anyone who was actually _hit_ with it was almost certain to die, as it used Tsunade's Chakra Enhanced Strength.

"Well, at least we know her chakra control is never likely to reach the level required for Tsunade's fighting style." Kakashi said lackadaisically as he pulled out his little orange book and opened it.

"There is that." Kurenai conceded, "But unless you put that book of smut away Hatake, I will make sure to place a genjutsu on you that will make you look like Gai."

Kakashi's head snapped up at her in shocked horror. "You _wouldn't_!"

"Try me." Kurenai replied seriously. Kakashi grumbled, but stowed his book in his weapon pouch.

"By the way dad, I'm curious." Asuma said looking at his father curiously, "Why are the teams this year so…unusual? An all male ninja team, an all kunoichi team…you even split up the Ino-Shika-Cho."

"Because, Asuma, the initial list was a recipe for _disaster_." Sarutobi replied, "Naruko would have been on Team 7, Kiba, Hinata and Shino on Team 8 and the Ino-Shika-Cho would have been with you, Asuma."

"As I recall, those are the teams we requested in the first place." Kakashi pointed out.

"True, but you all thought in terms of skill and not personalities." Sarutobi replied, "Naruko _despises_ the Uchiha Clan because of the attack on her when she was seven. She would have handed in her headband rather than remain on Sasuke's team. Kiba has no respect for kunoichi, despite his mother and sister being powerful ones, so he would have scared Hinata and angered Kurenai.

Ino, on the other hand, would have _hated_ to have been in a team under you Asuma, because you really are too lazy, which is why you requested the Ino-Shika-Cho in the first place. She would have nagged Choji and Shikamaru to train and you would _maybe_ send her off with a jutsu to learn -after a whole lot of persuasion on Ino's part- while you play shōgi with Shikamaru and Choji ate. Maybe the occasional teambuilding exercise, but you would have told them to focus on learning their clan jutsu, meaning Ino would have been frustrated at almost every training session."

Sarutobi paused to light his pipe, ignoring his son's indignant face, before he continued.

"A pretty similar thing would have happened with Naruko under you Asuma and Kakashi as well. So then, I thought about it, especially after I saw how Naruko mastered a B-Rank Kinjutsu in two hours. She needed someone to teach her the basics in chakra control, someone who wasn't lazy and wouldn't be three hours late, which meant Kurenai." he explained.

"Alright, I'll give you that, but I'm not _that _lazy!" Asuma protested.

"We'll discuss that later." Sarutobi said in a quelling fashion, "So then, if Naruko was to be on a team with Kurenai, who to put with her? Hinata was a given, both for Naruko's sake and for her own. That bore fruit this morning, as you heard. Sakura would have made a good choice, but I decided on Ino for similar reasons to Naruko.

As to the others, I place Kiba on team 7 in the hope some of his pack mentality would rub off on the Uchiha and Shino with Shikamaru and Choji, because he can get on with practically anybody." Sarutobi finished, looking between the four jonin.

"Now, we have to discuss the moving of the genin into their new homes tomorrow…" Sarutobi said as he puffed on his pipe.

The jonin relaxed at the change in topic and by the time the meeting was over, any ruffled feathers were soothed.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Around the same time**

**Hyuuga Hitomi's Private Garden, Hyuuga Main House Area, Hyuuga Clan Compound**

Hinata sighed as she trimmed the bush in front of her. Taking care of her mother's garden was something she had done since she was old enough to do it without the assistance of a gardener. It was one of the things that relaxed her in the tense and strict Hyuuga Compound.

"Hinata." a voice called for her attention and she stood and turned to see her father standing at the entrance to the house.

"Y-Yes, Otou-san?" Hinata asked nervously. Her father had not said anything since picking her up from the hospital, so she was worried he was about to castigate her for some reason.

"It is my understanding from your Jonin-sensei that you used the _**Hakke Sanjūni Shō **_against Yamanaka Haruo." he stated, "I find this odd as I have not taught you that technique yet. Explain."

"I-I f-found a scroll in Okaa-san's bonsai w-workroom that d-detailed it." Hinata replied, the pressure from her father's question making her stutter worse, "I was h-hoping to s-surprise you once I mastered it."

Hiashi regarded his daughter with well-concealed shock. She had been in Hitomi's room? No, more to the point, his wife had kept a scroll on one of the three Main Family Attack Techniques in her _bonsai workroom_?

The three Main Family _**Juken**_ Attack Techniques, the _**Hakke Sanjūni Shō, Hakke Rokujūyon Shō**_ and _**Hakke Hyaku Nijūhachi Shō (Eight Trigrams One Hundred and Twenty-Eight Palms)**_ were taught to only the best and most promising in each generation of the Hyuuga Clan and only when their teacher thought them ready to learn them. Hitomi had never learned any of the techniques because, while skilled at the _**Juken**_, she had not been a combat ninja.

Hiashi found his voice again. "Where in the workroom was it?"

"Ano…it was i-in a hidden d-drawer that I found when I was looking for Okaa-san's notes on treating g-greenfly last year." Hinata replied.

"I see…come. I shall see your skill with the technique to see if you are worthy of using it." Hiashi said as he turned and led her towards the dojo.

Hinata followed him, trembling. He would punish her if she could not use it well, she just knew it. She hoped she would not have to use the technique on her little sister. Hinata could not bear the thought of hurting the last gift her mother had left them in Hanabi.

She had only won against Hanabi in spars a couple of times, mostly when she was too distracted or concerned about something to concentrate on holding back against her, like she had a couple of days ago when Naruko's apartment building had been blown up.

When they reached the dojo, as Hinata had feared, Hanabi, her little sister, stood waiting impassively for her father and elder sister. She was dressed in black training clothes and her blank face gave away little of how she felt.

"Hanabi, your sister has learned a new technique that I would like her to use against you." Hiashi told Hanabi, "Prepare yourself."

"Hai, Otou-sama." Hanabi replied, her voice far too solemn for a seven year old. She assumed the basic stance of the _**Juken**_ when Hinata stood opposite her. Reluctantly, Hinata assumed the same stance.

'_What do I do? I don't want to hurt Hanabi-chan! But I don't want to be punished either! What should I do?_' Hinata thought frantically. Then, she remembered the burning pyre where she thought Naruko had died earlier this morning. Her face stiffened as she instinctively activated the _**Byakugan**_ with remembered rage, which shocked Hanabi as she saw her sister glaring at her for the first time in her life.

'_Never again. Never again will I be forced to let Naruko protect me as she risks her life!_' Hinata thought ferociously. In her mind, she saw Naruko exchanged for Hanabi. Hinata's mind rebelled against the scenario.

Hiashi was struck by the similarity between Hinata and Hitomi at that moment. Hinata looked just like her mother had after an assassin wounded him in a failed attempt on his life. She had torn the man to pieces with all the ferocity of a lioness.

'_Oh dear. I believe Hanabi is about to be pounded like nothing she has felt before._' Hiashi thought, before he raised his hand and said, "Hajime!"

To Hanabi's astonishment, Hinata moved to attack first, which was unprecedented in every single spar the two sisters had ever had. She hurriedly activated her own dōjutsu and blocked Hinata's strike -barely.

It was all Hanabi could do to hold her own against the ferocious onslaught Hinata sent her way. She had absolutely no room to counterattack whatsoever.

After a particularly well executed strike knocked her off balance, Hanabi saw Hinata make a very specific pose that was far too familiar from when she saw her father do it.

"You are within range of my divination, Hanabi." Hinata said in a cold voice that chilled the younger Hyuuga to hear, "_**Hakke Sanjūni Shō!**_"

Hinata's arms then seemed to blur as she began the attack.

"_**Ni**__**shō**__**!**_"__A pair of strikes to the tenketsu in her shoulders.

"_**Yon**__**shō!**_" An additional two strikes to the abdomen.

"_**Hachi**__**shō!**_" Four strikes across the upper torso, carefully avoiding the internal organs.

"_**Jūrokushō!**_" Eight strikes to the arms and upper legs.

"_**Hakke Sanjūni Shō!**_" Hinata struck the final set of sixteen strikes across most of the body of her younger sister, the last being strong enough to fling Hanabi back onto the dojo floor in a crumpled heap.

Hiashi would have gaped had it not been for his Hyuuga training in keeping his emotions under check and out of sight. That had been an excellently executed attack, although it had been strangely…different from the version he knew, more fluid and less rigid than the traditional version taught by the clan.

Regardless of _how_ it was done, Hinata _had_ closed thirty of Hanabi's tenketsu and partially closed the other two, without so much as grazing any of Hanabi's veins or organs. He was astounded by her progress and was pleased to say that he had never been more proud of his eldest daughter.

Hinata seemed to come out of her trance and ran to help her sister sit up, concern written across her face. She began opening Hanabi's tenketsu one by one, a painful process Hiashi knew from personal experience.

"O…Onee-sama…" Hanabi said, slightly stunned by her defeat, the second in three days, "H-How did you get so strong?"

Hinata looked at her sister kindly. "This morning, I almost lost one of my friends to an exceptionally _stupid_ person who blamed her for something she could not have possibly done. The thought of losing her was what motivated me. I will become strong, strong enough that I can fight alongside her and help her, rather than be protected by her like this morning.

I always held back when fighting you because you are my imouto, my sister. The idea of hurting you is repugnant to me, so I held back and let you win a lot of the time. I knew that this would almost guarantee that I will be branded with the Caged Bird Seal, but I did not care. As long as you were safe, what happened to me was immaterial."

Hanabi's eyes were wet with tears as she listened to her elder sister tell her that she was willing to become what was basically a slave in order to protect her. Hiashi's eyes were not exactly dry either as he listened.

"But I realise now that sometimes, protecting someone requires that they get hurt in the process." Hinata said as she looked at Hanabi square in the eyes. "I will now fight you with all I have in our sparring sessions, so you get as strong as you can as fast as you can. I am unsuited for _**Juken**_. It feels wrong for me to use, so _you_ will be the Heiress and _I_ will be sealed."

"But Onee-sama…!" Hanabi said tearfully before a finger went over her mouth.

"My choice, Hanabi-chan." Hinata said softly, "Mine and no-one else's. Just promise me that you'll treat me right once I'm sealed."

"You might be married out of the Clan." Hanabi said desperately.

Hinata shook her head. "Unlikely. And even if I was, I'd still be branded with the Sleeping Bird Seal, so my children wouldn't receive the _**Byakugan**_."

Hiashi decided to intervene at this point. He had a plan in motion that would hopefully free Hinata of her burden should she be chosen to be sealed, so he had to get them out of this little rut they were in.

"Hinata. Hanabi." he spoke evenly. Both of his daughters jumped. It was self-evident that they had forgotten he had been there the entire time, so engrossed they had been with their conversation.

"Hinata that was an excellent sparring session. Although the technique you used is subtly different from what I use." Hiashi said, "I would like to see the scroll that you used as a reference for learning it."

Seeing Hinata nod in acquiescence, he then addressed his youngest child. "Hanabi, I am glad to see that you now realise how much your sister cares for you. I realised the first time she lost precisely what she was planning and, while unhappy she would condemn herself to such a fate, the Clan laws are clear in this regard: One of you must be sealed by, at the very latest, Hinata's sixteenth birthday."

Seeing the sisters instinctively tighten their grip on one another protectively, Hiashi smiled openly. "Have no fear, my daughters. I have a plan. Trust me and I shall hopefully be able to either stall the branding indefinitely or prevent it altogether."

The looks of hope dawning across the faces of his daughters faces felt like a million ryo for Hiashi.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Later That Afternoon**

**Former Toji Clan Home, Clan Residential District**

Naruko was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the training room, her face contorted in thought. Before her was a scroll detailing her Clan's Taijutsu Style.

To be accurate, Taijutsu _Styles_, plural.

She had gotten home a while ago from the hospital after enduring a 'youthful' discussion of the technique she had used against Yamanaka Haruo this morning from Gai-sensei.

What the two-hour talk (How he had managed to talk about a _single_ technique for that long, she didn't know) had boiled down to, in essence, was three points and an offer.

First: Naruko had not utilised the _**Tsūga**_ portion of the technique correctly. She had only gotten perhaps a third of the spin speed possible, so she had not hit as hard as she could have.

Second: Her body required more strength, endurance and stamina in order to use the technique without repercussions.

And Third: The technique was too unwieldy, as it required a completely static target in order to strike the opponent successfully. She had been lucky that Haruo had been too debilitated by Hinata's _**Juken**_ to be able to dodge her.

The offer was to give her remedial training in Taijutsu and basic exercises in order to 'allow her youthful flames to explode in full bloom', whatever _that_ meant.

When she had pointed out that she already _had_ a Jonin-sensei, Gai-sensei had assured her that he would arrange things with Kurenai-sensei.

Slightly assured by that, she had accepted, contingent on Kurenai-sensei's acceptance of the matter. Gai had made what could only be described as a 'nice guy' pose and zoomed off in a green blur.

When she had returned to her new home after a quick trip (and twelve bowls of Ramen) to Ichiraku, she had sought out her family scrolls so she could begin her retraining immediately.

Unfortunately, she had discovered that, once she unsealed them, the Taijutsu scrolls were in a jumbled mess. She guessed that the main priority had been packing them away as fast as possible rather than in any particular order. She had finally gotten them into some degree of order and had found the scroll index.

What she had found confused her somewhat. There weren't just her Clan's scrolls; there was at least one scroll from every Clan in Uzushiogakure. She separated her own Clan scrolls from the others for the moment and focussed on the Uzumaki scrolls.

The Uzumaki Clan did indeed have it's own Taijutsu style. Unfortunately, it was split into three tiers, all of which warned that one must master the 'basic' style first before one attempted to learn the Uzumaki Taijutsu Style, _**Uzumaki Karyū-Ken (Whirlpool Vortex Style)**_.

Frustrated, Naruko had scoured the index for what this basic style was called. After much searching, she discovered that it was called the _**Ushio-ken**_ (_**Tide Fist Style) **_and had been the equivalent of the Konoha Academy's _**Hakage (Leaf Shadow) **_style in Uzushiogakure.

That brought her to this point. She was in the middle of reading the details of the basic stances and katas of the style, which seemed a whole lot more sensible than Konoha's basic taijutsu.

The Konoha _**Hakage**_ style was neutral, favouring neither offence or defence over the other. Rather, it's main feature was that it was easy to learn and use as a base for learning more advanced Taijutsu styles. Graduates of the Academy generally only used _**Hakage**_ style until they found a better style to learn.

_**Ushio-ken**_, on the other hand, was a solid style in and of itself. An offence-oriented style, it relied on swift, decisive strikes to finish the foe as fast as possible, operating under the premise that attack was the best defence.

It made sense to Naruko. Why bother sending genin out with a substandard taijutsu style that wouldn't stand up to any ninja with any sort of combat experience when you can give them a solid foundation to begin with?

"Right." Naruko muttered as she stood up, eyes still locked on the scroll in her hands. A cough coming from immediately behind her made her almost levitate. Whirling around, she saw that it was a smirking Third Hokage.

"Ji-chan, don't scare me like that!" Naruko said irritably as she rolled up the scroll in her hands and stuck it in a scroll pocket in the underside of her trench coat.

Sarutobi chuckled. "Sorry Naruko-chan. When I came in you were just so intent on reading that I decided to wait until you finished reading to…ah...interrupt your studying."

Naruko sighed. "Fair enough. Hold on a sec. _**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" An entire army of Naruko's spread out among the house.

"Alright you lot!" Naruko called, "Spread out across the grounds and practice the stances and katas. Some of you take perimeter patrol and some of you get to work on reading those indexes. I do _not_ want to have to play archivist every time I have to look something up. Move out!"

"Yes ma'am!" the horde of Naruko's said as they scattered, soon leaving Sarutobi and Naruko alone in the house once again.

"Which style are you learning?" Sarutobi enquired curiously.

"The _**Ushio-ken**_." Naruko replied, "My family's taijutsu style can't be learned without learning that style first."

"Ah yes. I had forgotten Kushina telling me that." Sarutobi nodded sagely.

Naruko's eye twitched a bit before she brightened. "Oh, Ji-chan, what do you think of my new outfit?" She twirled around.

"Very nice Naruko-chan." Sarutobi said with a smile, "But what about your Clan symbol?"

"The place I went to -NOT a local business, thank kami- said they'd put it on the back and left sleeve of ten copies of my outfit they'd have made up for tomorrow. This'll do for now though." Naruko replied.

"That's good." Sarutobi said with a smile. "I remember your mother's outfit as a genin was a kimono-style blouse with a black obi, a black skirt, thigh-high stockings and black sandals. It suited her quite well."

Naruko smiled at this new titbit about her mother, before she remembered the letter. "Ji-chan…I…I found a letter…from my mother."

Sarutobi's eyes widened as he looked at Naruko in concern.

"You…should probably read it too." Naruko said as she led him to her bedroom. Picking up the letter, she handed it to the Hokage, who accepted it with a grave air.

Sarutobi unfolded the letter and read it, smiling when a particularly Kushina-like line sprung out at him, wincing when he reached the line about what Naruko should do if she didn't know about the Kyuubi before reading the letter and quietly thanked kami that he had planned on telling her about her status as a Jinchuruki when she passed the genin exam anyway, rather than chunin as Kushina had initially suggested.

When he reached the part about Biwako, he let out a shuddering breath as he remembered her no nonsense and direct manner. Kami, he missed her so much. He finished reading the letter, noting the advice Kushina gave Naruko with considerable interest.

"Thank you, Naruko-chan." He said as he handed the precious letter back to Naruko with a nod. "I suppose you want to know what happened?"

"Yup." Naruko said, "I read _that_ part over and over. Teams of ANBU and the Yondaime Hokage on standby, one of the best midwives in the Elemental Nations, a secret, hidden location with a powerful kekkai…what the hell could have gotten past all that?"

"I wish we knew." replied Sarutobi sadly, "After…well, after the Kyuubi was sealed, we went over the birthing chamber with a fine toothed comb. Biwako, the other med-nins, the ANBU guards…all dead from a single killing strike each. Someone was able to bypass the kekkai, kill almost every living thing in the chamber and make off with Kushina to break the Kyuubi out, right out from under the nose of Konoha's Yellow Flash, without suffering a single wound in the process."

Naruko gaped. "Th-that shouldn't have been _possible_! ANBU are the best of the best! Even if they were all killed, the bastard should have at least a _few_ wounds! And Yondaime-sama was the fastest Hokage _ever_!"

"True." Sarutobi agreed, "But I think we both have to agree that the person responsible would have to be incredibly powerful to do all of the above in the first place, so I'm afraid it is in the realm of possibility."

"If I _ever_ find out who's responsible for my mother being killed, I'll roast his nuts slowly over a fire." Naruko said darkly.

"I'll be happy to give you a hand." Sarutobi assured her with a predatory grin that his surrogate granddaughter returned.

"Now then, do you want to find out what your gauntlet can do?" Sarutobi asked once the two of them had dealt with their dark impulses and made their way to the living room.

"Hell yeah!" Naruko chirped in reply, "It's been bugging me ever since I finished the damn thing."

"Well then, lets bring Enma and Enki here." Sarutobi said. Biting his thumbs just enough to draw blood, Sarutobi weaved handsigns.

"_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu- **__**Saru Tan'ya: Enki! Enkōō: Enma!**_" Sarutobi declared as he slammed his hands on the ground. In two plumes of smoke, the familiar forms of the Monkey King and one of his Master Blacksmiths appeared.

"**Hiruzen? You're a day early."** Enma said gruffly.

"I just passed my genin test this morning, Enma-sama." Naruko said, "The guy who blew up my old home tried to kill me in person just after that, so Ji-chan thinks it would be a good idea for me to know how to use the En'ō Kago-te just in case."

"…" Enki looked at Naruko for a moment before shaking his head. "The humans in your village are as dumb as rocks Hiruzen."

"I have trouble refuting that sometimes." Sarutobi said with a sigh.

"Humph." Enki snorted, "Well then Naruko. Has anything happened that you think has anything to do with the gauntlet?"

Naruko frowned. "Well…yeah. Yesterday, Kurenai-sensei put me under a genjutsu. Ordinarily I can't even tell I'm in one, but this time the gauntlet heated up and the eyes of the monkey head glowed red. And when I tried to dispel the genjutsu, I actually managed to do it."

"**The first ability of the gauntlet."** Enma said, **"En'ō no Seiiki (Monkey King's Sanctuary). An ability unique to the one who forged it with their chakra. As long as you wear it, there is a constant flow of chakra between you and the gauntlet. Because of this, the En'ō Kago-te can detect foreign chakra in your system and alert you to it. It even increases your chakra control to help you dispel the genjutsu cast on you, up to a point. C-Rank genjutsu and below won't be very hard to detect and dispel with the gauntlet on. You still have to be careful when dealing with B-Rank and above though."**

Naruko gazed at the gauntlet in awe.

"The second ability isn't _really_ an ability." Enki admitted, "The En'ō Keiyaku (Contract of the Monkey King) means that as long as you bear that gauntlet, you are officially a Summoner of the Monkey Clan. Congratulations."

"R-Really?" Naruko squeaked. A chuckling Sarutobi nodded.

"It's nice to have a fellow Summoner of the Monkey Clan in the village again." he remarked before gesturing at Enma to continue.

"**The gauntlet is now made of adamantine, a legendary material that is harder than diamonds."** Enma informed her, **"The final ability of the gauntlet makes it's composition very useful. The ****En'ō Jūni Ten no Kyokumen (The Twelve Heavenly Aspects of the Monkey King) allows the gauntlet to change shape into one of twelve weapon forms."**

"Seriously?!" Naruko exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes indeed." Enki chuckled, "Of course, it isn't as simple as all that. Y'see the part of the gauntlet that can rotate? You might notice how every panel is blank, barring one part that has '**籠手**'(Gauntlet) on it?"

Naruko looked at the gauntlet and, sure enough, there was a panel just as Enki described.

"Cool. So how do I transform it?" Naruko asked eagerly.

"You can't." Enki replied, "At least, not until you sacrifice a weapon to the gauntlet."

"EH!?" Naruko said, startled.

"What I mean is that the gauntlet absorbs the weapon you offer to it and the kanji for the weapon appears on one of the rotating plates." Enki elaborated, "You then make the Monkey Handsign and say 'Buki Henge' then 'Kongō (Adamantine/Vajra)' plus the name of whatever the weapon is called in order to transform the gauntlet. In addition, the quality of the weapon you offer determines the quality of the transformed gauntlet, so a poor quality weapon begets you a poor quality transformation. You see?"

"I…think so." Naruko said slowly, "But I don't have any weapons except kunai and shuriken, and none of them are high quality stuff either."

"Here." Sarutobi unsealed a Bō staff from a seal hidden on his left arm somewhere.

"Ji-chan, you don't have to-" Naruko tried to protest.

"You have to get used to transforming the gauntlet." Sarutobi said firmly, "Besides, I have a lot of good Bō staffs in the Sarutobi compound that can replace this one."

Naruko accepted the Bō from her grandfather figure and spun it slightly. It was a good weight, not too light or too heavy, and was well balanced. The wood was lacquered a dull black and each end was capped by a thick, blunt piece of plain steel to increase the impact of the strikes. It was almost two meters tall, so it was bigger than she was at the moment.

"Ok. This is a _good_ Bō." Naruko said with conviction, as she looked at Enki, "So how do I , uh, _offer_ it to my gauntlet?"

Enki chuckled. "First, you draw blood and swipe it horizontally across the mouth of the snarling monkey face on the back of your hand."

Naruko bit her thumb and swiped it across the mouth. Instantly, the monkey head swelled up until it jutted out from the gauntlet like a tumour. It opened its mouth, ready.

Naruko looked at it then at Enki. "Seriously? It has to _eat_ the damn thing?"

"As you would say, 'yep'." Enki grunted back, clearly amused, "Insert it end-first. As you put it in, make sure you do not put your hand too close to the mouth or it'll suck you in. That would be…bad."

"Riiiiight." Naruko said regarding Enki with no small amount of scepticism, but decided to take him at his word. She had a shadow clone carefully placed one of the butt-ends of the Bō in the opening of the gaping mouth of the monkey face on the back of her hand and push it in.

A slight blue glow was shining from the mouth as the staff was inserted, deepening in colour as more and more of the staff was swallowed up by the gauntlet.

"How is it doing that?" Naruko asked, fascinated.

"Seals. Lots and _lots_ of seals." Enki replied, "I'm no Seal Master, but there are a few of the Monkey Clan who are intermediate Masters. Plus, we can contact Jiraya of the Sannin via the Toad Clan if we want something particularly complex. I didn't consult him on the seals used on En'ō Kago-te and it bit me on the ass. Far too damn powerful for it's own good and utterly useless while incomplete."

"**It was foolish of you to not request a messenger sent to the Toads when you were forging the damned thing."** Enma said bluntly.

"At the time, it was intended as a tithe for you, Enma-sama." Enki pointed out, "It was a surprise. How was I supposed to know that the particular sealing matrix I used would react the way it did when I overlaid a secondary array around it?"

"**You never even consulted the few intermediate Seal Masters we had before trying it."** the Monkey King growled, **"You're lucky that I managed to rip the damn gauntlet off before it drained me dry."**

"Enma, Enki, can you argue later? The gauntlet's almost finished absorbing the staff." Sarutobi interjected with a mental eye roll. These two had been arguing about that particular incident for decades and Sarutobi wasn't in the mood to watch it for the nth time.

With a slight {POP!}, the last of the Bō vanished into the gauntlet. The mouth of the monkey closed and retracted back into the main gauntlet. Then, the movable section of the En'ō Kago-te began to rotate, slowly at first then picking up speed. Finally, it stopped on the blank plate next to the only occupied plate and the kanji '**棒**' (Bō) appeared on it as if it was being written by a brush.

"Wow." Naruko said appreciatively.

"**Try and transform it into a staff now."** Enma directed.

Naruko nodded and formed the Monkey handsign. "_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongō**__**bō! (Gauntlet of the Monkey King: Weapon Transformation: Adamantine Staff!)**_" She commanded.

A puff of smoke surrounded Naruko for a moment, before clearing to reveal the blond kunoichi now holding a Bō staff, but one that was different from the one that had been offered to the gauntlet.

It was still black, but was now the matt black that denoted adamantine. It was slightly shorter than before, at the perfect length for Naruko to wield it. The steel caps at the ends were now a bronze-like material, shaped like snarling monkey faces.

"That...is impressive." Sarutobi said.

Naruko looked at her now bare right forearm. "Huh. Feels kinda wrong to not have the gauntlet on my arm." she commented.

"When you wish to return the En'ō Kago-te to it's original form, merely make a one-handed Tiger Handsign and commend 'Buki Henge: Kai' ." Enki advised.

Naruko nodded. Making the required handsign with her free hand, she said, "_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kai! (Gauntlet of the Monkey King: Weapon Transformation: Release!)**_"

In another poof of smoke, the Bō was gone and the gauntlet was back on Naruko's arm.

"I think I could get used to this." she smirked.

"I'll bet." Sarutobi said dryly, "But while the weapon is important, you also require skill to use it effectively. Have you looked at weapons styles in your archives?"

Seeing Naruko shake her head in negation, he said, "I'd check that next, if I were you. If there is no Bōjutsu style from Uzu, I will find you a style from Konoha."

"Arigato, Ji-chan!" Naruko said with a beaming smile. Then her brow furrowed.

"Enki-san, how can the gauntlet 'absorb' a weapon that is too big to fit down the opening?" she asked.

Enki shrugged. "In the same way you have a mountain-high fox demon held within you: seals. Sarutobi here might have told you this before, but as long as you have the formula, there is no limit to what Fūinjutsu can accomplish. I designed the seals to do with weapon absorption so they could absorb even a tetsubo or a zanbatō with ease. They bend the space around the weapon so it fits, regardless of size."

"Oh." Naruko mulled this over for a moment. "Is there any limits or demerits to using the third ability?"

"**Heh. She's sharp."** Enma remarked, **"Yes, there are limits and a demerit. You cannot shift between weapon forms directly. You have to revert back to the gauntlet before you can transform it into another weapon. In addition, you can only transform the gauntlet three times in a single hour, not including cancelling the transformations, then it must rest for at least half an hour. Finally, the demerit. When wielding En'ō Kago-te in a weapon form, you are bereft of the En'ō no Seiiki ability. You have to choose between offence and defence."**

"I can work with those conditions." Naruko said confidently.

"Naruko-chan, I would like it if you could avoid using your summoning abilities for as long as you can." Sarutobi said, seriously, "Otherwise there will be moan and complaints of favouritism from the civilians and maybe even a few grumbles from the Shinobi Forces. Wait a few months and I can say I let you sign the Monkey Contract as a reward for a mission well done."

Naruko contorted her face a bit at this. She may have matured a bit since graduating, but she had been seeking acknowledgement from people for seven long years and that much-ingrained habit did not just vanish with the wind.

Reluctantly, she nodded. "I will use it if my teammate's lives are in danger, Ji-chan."

"That is an honourable stipulation, Naruko-chan and I accept it without reservation." Sarutobi replied solemnly.

"**Hiruzen, now that we have explained everything to the new Summoner, Enki and myself should be going."** Enma said gruffly, **"I shall hopefully see you again soon, Naruko."**

"As do I, Enma-sama." Naruko replied with a small bow.

With a couple of puffs of smoke, the monkey summons disappeared back to their own realm, leaving the humans alone once again.

"Now, I have some news for you regarding a recent act passed in the council." Sarutobi said after a moment.

"Please don't tell me the council passed a law restricting Jinchuruki from rising higher than genin." Naruko deadpanned.

Sarutobi chuckled. "The Shodaime enacted a little-known law after the Valley of the End that specifically prohibited discrimination against Clans, families and individuals with demonic association, possessing demonic ancestry or being host to a demon. No, what I need to discuss is The Genin Housing Act."

"What's that?" Naruko asked confusedly.

Sarutobi smiled grimly. Naruko would like this.

"For you, it means that your teammates are moving in here with you." He replied cheerfully.

A second passed, then another. Then….

"EHHHHHHHHH?!" Naruko shrieked.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Housemates and D-Ranks**

**Authors Note: For those of you who might say that I am giving Naruko Enma without actually being Enma, the difference is this: Enma's Adamantine Staff form is based of off Son Goku's magic staff from Journey to the West, capable of extending at it's owners will.**

**Naruko's staff is just an Adamantine staff. It cannot lengthen or shrink and has no special abilities other than being made of Adamantine, which is all but immune to being cut.**

**Oh, and if you're wondering if I'm putting all the different styles I mention above in the lexicon…nope. I only put Jutsu and styles that haven't been mentioned before ****and**** are actively used in a chapter in the Lexicon, otherwise these chapters would go on all day.**

**Read, Review and stay tuned!**

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with the name emboldened is one I made.**

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongō**__**bō - Gauntlet of the Monkey King: Weapon Transformation: Adamantine Staff**_

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu_

Effect: _Transforms the En'ō Kago-te into a __bō staff made of Adamantine. The staff appears at the optimum length for the user to wield it at._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kai - Gauntlet of the Monkey King: Weapon Transformation: Release**_

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu_

Effect: _Cancels the transformation of En'ō Kago-te from a weapon and returns it to a gauntlet._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**


	6. Housemates and D-Ranks

**Author's Note: All credit for the Genin Housing Act goes to Archangel N. Bloodraven, in the story 'Vixens and Kitsune', who kindly allowed me to borrow it. I also recommend you try reading it, as the story is quite good.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 6: Housemates and D-Ranks**

**Timeskip - The Next Day**

**Midday, Sarutobi's Office, Hokage Tower**

The eleven genin in the room had taken two sides. Ami's team were on one side, the rest were on the other side giving Ami's team the evil eye. At least the girls were. Ino, Sakura and Hinata had all been bullied by the purple haired menace that was Ami.

The boys were indifferent.

Kiba was dismissive of kunoichi, although Tsume and Hana, his mother and sister, were strong and well-respected kunoichi that _no_ man wanted to get on the wrong side of.

Shino was indifferent to petty rivalries as it was an illogical process.

Shikamaru thought it was too troublesome.

Choji might have cared if he had been on his own, but as it was, no.

Sasuke regarded everyone around him as inferior, whether they are ninja or civilian, so the feuding between the kunoichi was of little interest to him.

The five jonin watching the genin did not think this was a good sign.

"Stupid brats are still caught up in their idiotic school rivalry." Anko said in an undertone to the others.

"It has only been two days since graduation." Asuma pointed out, "Plus, they haven't even gone on any missions yet."

Kakashi sighed. "More importantly, Kurenai, where is your last student?"

The red-eyed jonin frowned. "I honestly don't know. From everything I have been able to find out about her, this is not like her. I half expected her to be waiting here early."

Hayate laughed, before it spluttered into another cough. "That sounds like her. I remember when she was admitted to the academy. She was bouncing around like she was pumped full of pure adrenaline. It would have been cute…if it hadn't been so exhausting." he said after he recovered.

Asuma chuckled. "Yeah. I remember coming back for a visit when I was a member of the Guardian Ninja Twelve when she was five. I helped move her into her old apartment. She was so excited about getting her own house."

"This trip down memory lane -as fascinating as it is- still begs the question of 'where is Naruko?' " Kakashi said in a monotone.

Just then, the Hokage walked in. He looked between the two groups of genin with a sigh before he strode over to his desk and sat down behind it with yet another sigh.

"Well, mow that we're all here, we can begin." Sarutobi said as he shuffled documents on his desk.

"Um...Hokage-sama, Naruko isn't here yet." Sakura said quickly.

"I have to disagree there Sakura-chan. Naruko has been here before the Jonin arrived." Sarutobi said with a small chuckle before he raised his voice slightly, "Naruko, you can come out now."

"Awwww, Ji-chan! You spoilt the surprise!" Naruko's voice whined from seemingly nowhere, "You could have waited until I made my entrance!"

The other genin looked around for their fellow ninja, but couldn't catch sight of her. Even the Jonin couldn't find her and were looking around in puzzlement.

"My apologies, Naruko-chan but we do have a lot to get on with, so if you could show yourself, we can get on with it." Sarutobi said firmly.

A small sigh was heard from the hidden kunoichi. "Oh all right." Naruko said sulkily.

Then the ceiling started to collapse, or so the assembled Ninja thought. It was soon evident that it was a giant cloth painted and textured to look exactly like the ceiling of the Hokage's office. Four Shadow Clones of Naruko, _**henge'd**_ into wearing her old jumpsuit, had been holding it up at each of the four corners of the office.

"A giant version of _**Ninpo: **__**Kakuremino no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Magic Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu)**_?" Kurenai asked in disbelief, "And we never noticed her presence at all?"

The Shadow Clones rolled up the cloth and laid it to one side before dispelling themselves.

"It takes the concerted effort of up to ten teams of ANBU or the effort of one Umino Iruka to track down and bring in Naruko." Sarutobi said with a small smile, "Add in to that her stealth is above the level required for ANBU entry, and you have nothing to be ashamed of."

As the two adults spoke, the real Naruko dropped down to the floor, clad in a fresh set of her new outfit that drew some raised eyebrows. There were only three things different about her from when Sarutobi had seen her the previous day.

The first was that the trench coat now bore the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki Clan on its back and left arm, just as she had told him the previous day.

The second was the addition of an additional hitai-ate tied around her right upper arm, which bore the spiral symbol of Uzushiogakure. Evidently Naruko had come across her mother's possessions after he left.

The third and final addition was the sword slung over her right shoulder. It was a katana, with a red-wrapped handle. The Tsuba was circular and was carved to resemble the Uzumaki Clan symbol. The sheath was black with spirals picked out in gold running down its length. Sarutobi recognised it immediately as Kushina's sword, Benihime.

He wasn't the only one who recognised the sword. Kakashi went rigid when he saw it, as did Hayate although they did so for entirely different reasons. Kakashi recognised the sword of the person whom his sensei had loved, while Hayate recognised the Meito (famous named sword) that had belonged to the best swordswoman in all of Konoha.

"Heya guys." Naruko greeted her fellow graduates, but pointedly ignored Ami, Kasumi and Fuki.

"N-Naruko?" Sakura asked, shocked by her change in attire, "Is that really you?"

'_{Shannaro! She looks better without the damn orange monstrosity hiding her! She had better not go after my Sasuke-kun! Cha!}_' Her inner self shouted.

"Yup." The Uzumaki Heiress replied, "Decided to put the jumpsuits away now I'm a real kunoichi and not a student."

"Heh. Clothes don't matter, Dobe." Kiba sneered, "You can't match me. Not now, not ever."

"We'll see, mutt." Naruko shot back.

Shikamaru looked at her and rolled his eyes. "Urgh. Do you have to be so troublesome, Naruko?"

Naruko giggled. "Yup."

"…Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"Teme, as always you are a _riveting_ conversationalist." Naruko said sarcastically.

"Baka!" Ino shouted, "Stop calling my Sasuke-kun that!"

"He has to say more than single syllable answers to any question he's asked before that'll happen Ino-chan." Naruko replied cheekily, "Yo Choji, up for our eating contest after this?"

"You bet!" The rotund boy replied happily. He had always liked Naruko. She had never teased him for his weight and was able to compete with him in eating contests, which was unheard of within Konoha. The Akimichi Clan, with their _**Karorī Kontorōru no Jutsu (Calorie Control Jutsu)**_ were infamous for consuming an incredibly large amount of food.

The only person to equal them in this department was Naruko when it came to Ramen. Not even his father, Chōza, could out-eat Naruko when it came to Ramen.

Shino regarded Naruko speculatively but said nothing. Hinata's face was, as always, somewhat red when she looked at Naruko.

Sarutobi cleared his throat. "Naruko-chan, did you bring what I asked for?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Naruko said as she opened her trench coat, reached in and pulled out a scroll, "Here you go Ji-chan."

She tossed the scroll at the Hokage, who deftly caught it. "My thanks. Take these to the mission counter and you will be paid for both missions." Sarutobi told her as he tossed a pair of scrolls back at Naruko, who caught them with a grin and a nod.

Ignoring the curious looks of her peers, Naruko pocketed the scrolls and pretended that her peers were not regarding her with suspicion.

Sarutobi decided now would be a good time to distract them. "Now, if all genin would line up in their teams?" he asked.

After the genin scrambled into lines, he was unsurprised to see Ami at the head of Team 6, Sasuke at the head of Team 7, Naruko at the head of Team 8 and a reluctant Shikamaru at the head of Team 10.

Turning to the jonin, Sarutobi said, "Now, I would like for you to select a member of your squad to be the second in command. This has no meaning in anything but C-Rank missions and above."

Noticing the half-incredulous looks coming from the genin, Sarutobi told them, "This is a precaution, nothing more, for the unlikely case that your Jonin-sensei is incapacitated for some reason, such as severe chakra exhaustion."

Sakura stuck her hand up.

"Yes, Sakura-chan? And there's no need to raise your hand to ask a question; you are no-longer at the Academy." Sarutobi said gently.

"H-Hai, Hokage-sama." Sakura said nervously. She _really_ envied Naruko's easy rapport with the village leader right now, "Err, what would the duties of a second in command actually be?"

"An excellent question, Sakura-chan." Sarutobi said approvingly, making the pinkette blush slightly, "A second in command or Assistant Squad Leader (ASL) is only relevant when the Jonin-sensei is either not around, such as an independent D-Rank or above mission, or if, as I have already said, the Jonin-sensei becomes incapacitated on a C-rank or higher mission."

He paused to light his pipe before continuing, "An ASL is considered to be in charge of the squad until such time as they either revive their Jonin-sensei or the mission is complete, whichever happens first or is more relevant. Disobeying the orders of an ASL is given the same oversight as disobeying the Jonin-sensei, so long as the order falls under the ORP criteria."

"ORP? What the heck is that?" asked Ino.

"ORP. Ordinary, Reasonable and Prudent." explained Sarutobi, "In other words, if an order given is judged by seasoned jonin to be something an ordinary, reasonable and prudent ninja would have followed when it was not, the full weight of the law -military law, not civilian law- would be brought to bear on the one who disobeyed it."

"And if the order was not what an 'ORP' ninja would follow?" Sasuke asked insolence in his body language as if such a thing was beneath him.

"Then the ASL would be the one brought under scrutiny instead." Sarutobi replied, looking the arrogant boy in the eyes sternly, "Should the ASL be found wanting, they could face several penalties which, while not as severe as what a chunin or jonin would face in a similar situation, would be most…_unpleasant_ for them, their family's…and their Clan's lands and money."

Sasuke scowled as the warning struck home. With an "Hn" of what could be imagined to be acknowledgement, he shoved his hands in his pockets and remained silent.

"Now, Hayate, who will you recommend?" Sarutobi asked after a lingering look of disappointment at the Uchiha.

"{Cough} I recommend Matsura Ami." Hayate said. Ami smirked arrogantly at this.

"Very well. Kakashi?" Sarutobi hid his concern at the girl's arrogance. It seemed that this year, arrogant ninja were the norm.

"I recommend Haruno Sakura." The silver-haired man said lazily. Sakura looked shocked.

"WHAT!?" snarled Sasuke, "I am an Uchiha! My lineage _demands_ that I be in charge! She is just a civilian!"

"And a mere _kunoichi_." Kiba sneered.

"**ENOUGH!**" Sarutobi thundered angrily, while Naruko and Hinata glared at Sasuke and Kiba. Team 6, Sakura and Ino were looking at Sasuke with hurt shock at his attitude towards civilians.

"Sasuke, a person's origin does not determine their place in life." Sarutobi spoke softly, but with anger clear in his voice, "Nor does a person's gender, Kiba. I confess to being disappointed in you both. As punishment, all your mission-pay from the next twenty missions is to be forfeited to Haruno Sakura for conduct unbecoming of a shinobi of Konoha. Understood?"

Sasuke and Kiba looked sullen as they nodded bitterly. Sarutobi settled down and motioned to Kurenai.

"I recommend Uzumaki Naruko." she said with a smile. Naruko looked like she had been sucker punched in the gut.

"Wait, _the_ _Dobe_ is gonna be an ASL?" Ami asked incredulously, "Might as well mark them as KIA right now." Her two flunkies sniggered in agreement with her.

Naruko glared murderously at Ami, while Ino and Hinata adding their glares to the mix. Team 10 were not too happy either. Sakura was glaring as well, while Sasuke and Kiba looked as if they agreed with Ami.

Sarutobi sighed. It seemed Ami, Sasuke and Kiba were this years troublemakers. "Ami, cease this childish idea that you are superior to others based on academic records and do not ridicule others in such a cruel manner or I will punish you as I have Sasuke and Kiba." he said in an almost resigned way, while his eyes glowered at the civilian-born genin.

Ami quailed at the look the Hokage gave her and shut up with an almost inaudible "Hai."

"Asuma, what about you?" Sarutobi asked.

"I recommend Nara Shikamaru." Asuma replied. Shikamaru huffed and muttered his family's catchphrase, "Troublesome."

"Very well. I fully endorse the recommendations of the Jonin." the Hokage said formally, "Ami, Sakura, Naruko, Shikamaru; do you accept the responsibility offered to you?"

"Hell yeah!" crowed Ami, who had recovered from her fear somewhat.

"I-I…yes. I accept, Hokage-sama." Sakura said standing straighter.

"Nobody'll get to my friends while I'm on the job! I'm in." Naruko stated forcefully, shooting Ami a quick scowl.

"Troublesome. Okaa-san will nag me to death if I don't accept. I'll do it." grumbled Shikamaru.

"Very good." Sarutobi said. "The second reason I have called you here is to inform you of the Genin Housing Act."

"What's that?" asked Fuki, who had been silent so far.

"Rather basically, it means that each team will be living in the same house or apartment together." replied Sarutobi.

The genin, aside from Naruko, looked at the Hokage in shock. Then Sasuke crossed his arms.

"I'll pass on this." he stated unequivocally.

"You have no choice." Sarutobi shot back, eyes narrowed at the Last Uchiha, "Unless you resign as a ninja, you _will_ comply with my command."

Sasuke scowled again. "Why do we have to do this?" he spat out.

"I believe that it will help improve your teamwork faster. Living together and working together should help you all bond more quickly and thus raise the speed of your on-the-job efficiency." Sarutobi explained, " In addition, having to pay for your utilities, such as water and electricity, out of your mission pay and standard genin pay will teach you a sense of responsibility and aid in your maturity, which will be needed on C-Rank and above missions and the Chunin Selection Exams."

Sasuke did not look convinced. "I disagree strongly with this. If I'm living elsewhere, who will maintain the Uchiha Compound?" he argued.

"The Uchiha compound is in _dire_ need of extensive maintenance anyway Sasuke." Sarutobi said firmly, "I'm sure that you have done your best to hold the fort there, but the fact of the matter is that it took at _least _twenty people, sometimes as many as fifty, to maintain the small things on a day-to-day basis, let alone what any serious repairs required. So far, you have refused all offers at aid in that department, but with this, I am afraid you will have to relent."

Seeing there was nothing to be done, Sasuke huffed slightly and said nothing.

Glad that the Uchiha had acceded, albeit reluctantly, Sarutobi continued with his briefing. "Your Jonin-sensei have a set of keys for each of you, plus an extra set of their own for emergencies. The houses have been stocked with a week's worth of food, but I advise that you make up a shopping list so everyone can get whatever else you need for now."

Seeing that the genin had calmed down and accepted the idea, Sarutobi smiled. "OK then. Teams 6, 7 and 10 can move out and start moving out, pardon the pun. Team 8; stay behind as there are additional things to be discussed."

As the other genin filed out after their senseis, they snuck looks at Team 8, no doubt wondering what the Hokage wanted with them. Had Naruko perhaps played another prank on a prominent clan again?

Once the door had closed behind them, Sarutobi got up and swiftly knelt next to Naruko. "Don't believe what Ami said." He told her as he looked into her sapphire blue eyes, which had been quivering with barely concealed fear when the others hadn't been looking, ever since Ami had so flippantly made her cruel remark.

"But-But yesterday they were almost killed just because they were on the same squad as me, Ji-chan." Naruko whispered brokenly, "What if it happens again? What if one of them gets hurt or even _dies_ because some idiot who was after me gets them instead? I don't think I could take it if that happened."

"Naruko…" Ino whispered as she saw the usually strong girl tremble in fear and self-doubt. Drawing herself up, Ino strode forward and roughly spun Naruko around. Sarutobi wisely got out of the firing line of the irate kunoichi.

"Now you listen here Uzumaki Naruko!" Ino snarled, "Get it through your head that Hinata and I are both kunoichi too! Having brushes with death is a risk we accepted when we accepted our hitai-ate! So don't you _dare_ try and coddle us!"

Naruko stared at Ino in ill-disguised shock. "You don't understand-" she tried to say, before Ino cut her off.

"You mean how everyone thinks you're the Kyuubi reborn just because you were the only one born that day?" the Yamanaka Heiress snorted in disgust as she spoke.

Naruko, Sarutobi, Kurenai and Anko went rigid at these words. "How'd you…?" Naruko asked timorously.

"I did some thinking, and then daddy told me his suspicions." Ino replied, "He seemed just as irritated as I am by the whole thing. Really! As if Hokage-sama would have let you live in the village if that was the case!"

Sarutobi relaxed slightly. He had to admit, focussing the girl on one part of the villagers misguided beliefs was a smart thing on Inoichi's part, even more so because it offended Ino that people would think such a thing of one of _her_ friends. Ino had always been highly protective of those close to her and this latest incident with her own cousin trying to kill Naruko seemed to have kicked that instinct into overdrive.

"Naruko-chan." Hinata, up until now silent, walked forward to stand next to Ino, "I-I understand that y-you want to protect us, and I a-appreciate the thought, but Ino-chan is right. We are kunoichi a-and we will risk dying on an m-mission eventually. Please, trust us. We are y-your teammates and I no more believe that you are the Kyuubi than Ino-chan does."

That did it. Naruko grabbed her teammates into a tight hug and cried freely, for the first time in who knows how long, all the while sobbing out her thanks to them. Although startled at first, Ino and Hinata returned the hug with feeling, sensing that their friend needed this.

Kurenai, Anko and Sarutobi smiled at the sight before them. Even although the two other genin kunoichi didn't know the full truth yet, they still dismissed the idea that Naruko was the Kyuubi reincarnated without a second thought, which boded well for when Naruko told them the _real_ truth.

'_Naruko, trust in your friends. They will not let you down._' Sarutobi thought as he watched the girl who was his granddaughter in all but blood weep herself dry.

At length, Naruko recovered her composure and apologised to her friends for doubting them.

"Don't let it happen again!" Ino said, her threatening tone mitigated by her gentle smile. Hinata blushed red and pushed her forefingers together in embarrassment.

"Naruko, is that your mother's sword?" Sarutobi asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I found her last night." Naruko said, brightening slightly, "Do you want to see her?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Sarutobi replied. Naruko reached back, grasped the hilt and drew the sword, which made a metallic {ZING} sound as it was drawn.

The blade was a work of art; there was no other way to describe it. The distinctive ripple of master-forged steel reflected back at the watching ninja. Engraved on the blade were intricately worked waves, tides and swirls that almost seemed to be in motion.

"W-Wow…" Breathed Hinata. Ino was, rather unusually for her, speechless at the sight of the sword. Anko whistled appreciatively and Kurenai could only nod in silent agreement with her friend.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Naruko said proudly.

"Naruko, why do you keep referring to the sword as a female?" Sarutobi asked curiously.

Naruko grinned. "Only a lady could be as beautiful as Benihime here." she replied.

"'Crimson Princess'?" Kurenai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Beats 'Ryūketsu Shinigami' any day of the week." Naruko replied with a shrug.

This time, Anko was the one to raise an eyebrow. "Wow, _that_ name takes me back. 'Bloody Reaper' used to make the Kiri-nins run for the hills as soon as Kushina-sama drew it. Aside from the Seven Swordsmen."

Sarutobi chuckled. "Yes, but then only a couple of them could go toe-to-toe with Kushina on anything approaching an even footing. The rest were beaten to a bloody pulp and never dared challenge her again if they survived."

He then looked at Naruko seriously. "I must warn you, do not let anyone else try and hold the blade once you have bloodied it. It will be sealed to you and no one else will be able to hold it after it is drawn from the sheath." He warned Naruko sternly.

"Yeah, there was a note on it from the Nidaime Uzukage, Uzumaki Rensa." Naruko replied, "She was the one who made it."

"Wait, _Uzukage_? Uzumaki Rensa?" Ino asked, confused.

"The Uzukage was the leader of Uzushiogakure no Sato, which was destroyed at the start of the Third Great Shinobi War." Naruko replied, "And most of the population of Uzushiogakure was made up of the Uzumaki Clan, so all of the Uzukage's were Uzumaki's. Rensa-baa-chan was my Great-Great-Great Grandmother."

"You're in the same situation as Sasuke-san." Hinata breathed.

Naruko snorted. "And unlike him, I'm not a teme about it. He is such an EMO!"

Sarutobi interrupted before Mount. Ino could erupt. "Have you though of a new name for Benihime yet?" he asked.

"Not yet." Naruko said with a shake of her head, "I mean it's not something to decide on at the drop of a hat!"

"Very true." Sarutobi said approvingly, "Kushina was careful not to use Benihime until she had decided on a name. She used an ANBU ninjatō until then. I would advise you to do the same."

"Right." Naruko nodded as she resheathed Benihime

"I don't get it." Ino said with a frown, "It's a nice sword, sure, but why can't anyone use it once Naruko's blooded it? And why is it so special?"

"There are cunningly wrought seals on the blade and hilt that react badly to such a thing happening." Sarutobi replied, "If someone other than the chosen wielder tries to hold it, Benihime sends a massive electrical shock up their arm, directly through the tenketsu and into the chakra network."

Hinata's eyes widened. "T-That kind of damage would be irreparable!" she exclaimed. As a Hyuuga, she was an expert on attacks on the chakra network, so nobody disbelieved her.

"And as for why it is so special…" Sarutobi said with a small smile, "The one who wields Benihime -or whatever the wielder calls the blade- is the Heir or Heiress of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Not that being the Heiress is any great feat when it's just me in the Clan." Naruko muttered.

Ino smacked her lightly across the back of the head. "Stop trying to be like Sasuke-kun! You can't be as cool as he is, so stop trying!"

"Who'd _want_ to be like Sasuke-teme?!" Naruko shot back as she rubbed her head where Ino had hit her, "And I wasn't _trying_ to be like him anyway!"

"Yeah? Well you were doing a half-decent attempt at it!" Ino retorted. Kurenai and Anko hid smiles as they saw what Ino was doing.

"LIKE HELL!" Naruko shouted indignantly.

Sarutobi coughed. "As…important as this must be too you two, I should tell you all what I held your team back for, would you say Naruko?"

Naruko brightened and grinned mischievously. A grin that Sarutobi returned, making Ino and Hinata shift nervously.

"Now, unlike the other teams, Team 8 will not be moved into an ordinary house or apartment." Sarutobi said once he finished grinning at Naruko, "This is for the reason that Ino-chan here recently discovered."

Ino and Hinata cursed under their breaths at the villagers in general.

"While I disagree with your way of expressing yourselves on the subject, I agree with your sentiments." Sarutobi told them wryly, "Anyway, Naruko recently defeated Toji Mizuki, last of the Toji Clan, when he was about to become a Nuke-nin, thus she qualified for both the Spoils of Victory Act, as well as the Conquering Clan Act."

Hinata's jaw dropped. "Y-You mean Naruko-chan now owns everything that once b-belonged to Mizuki? A-And everything his Clan owned too?" she blurted out in astonishment.

"Just so." Sarutobi said, Seeing the incomprehension and stupefaction on the faces on the two jonin and Ino, Sarutobi explained, "The Spoils of Victory Act was passed by the Shodaime as an incentive to capture Nuke-nins before they left the village. Anyone who succeeds in capturing a Nuke-nin before they leave the village, as long as the captor is from a Clan, is entitled to all ninja equipment owned by the Nuke-nin.

The Conquering Clan Act was actually introduced by my sensei, Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage, when several smaller clans were severely reduced or wiped out during the Great Shinobi Wars. There was a lot of nonsense about honour duels between shinobi who were the last of their clan back then, so Tobirama-sensei, having gotten sick of the whole business, made this law to put a stop to it. Very basically, if the last members of two separate clans fight, the loser cedes all belongings, properties and monies to the victor.

As you can imagine, after the first couple of losers did lose everything of their clan, the honour duels tapered of fairly quickly."

"No doubt." Kurenai muttered in shock.

"So the gaki gets Mizuki's room at the barracks?" Anko asked, seemingly unperturbed and unimpressed.

"No, no." Sarutobi replied, "She gets the Toji Clan's Compound and estate in the Clan Residential District, in addition to everything in it, a few shares in various businesses in and out of Konoha, as well as any and all Clan Jutsu and styles formerly belonging to the Toji Clan."

Anko actually staggered slightly. "She gets ownership of the _**Kazeshini-Ryu (Death Wind Dragon)**_ Fūma Shuriken style?" she asked weakly.

Seeing that Naruko was confused, Sarutobi said, "A style that focuses on using Fūma Shuriken in close combat. The Toji Clan was well known for their prowess with the style and several members were well known for fighting several foes at once while using it."

"Cool. Definitely have to add one to my 'special arsenal'." Naruko said with a smirk.

"That would be a good idea." Sarutobi agreed, "Moving on, Naruko here has spent the last few days cleaning the place up, as it has not been used in twenty years. I believe I shall have to pay you for, let's see now, four D-Rank Missions for your hard work Naruko-chan."

"Ji-chan, I was just cleaning my new house!" Naruko protested.

"An estate that can house fifty people comfortably, not to mention moderately large grounds that need a gardeners touch." Sarutobi said dryly. "I think you deserve the money for the effort. Not to mention the fact that I'm taking liberty with your property by making it your genin team's home."

"Well…if you say so Ji-chan." Naruko brightened slightly, "Hey that makes four solo D-Ranks, one solo B-Rank _and_ one solo A-Rank, all before I'm an official genin! Beat that, Sasuke-teme!"

Ino smiled ruefully. Even she had to admit that Naruko had beaten Sasuke here. But still…

"Baka! Stop calling him a teme!" Ino shouted as she bopped Naruko across the head lightly, just hard enough to get her point across.

"But he _is_ a teme, Ino-chan! " Naruko retorted, "Look at how he treated Sakura-chan just now!"

Ino faltered slightly. She knew Naruko had a point. Sakura hadn't done anything to deserve those scathing remarks about her origin. And as for Kiba…

"I'm more worried about Kiba, actually." Ino said, chewing her lip slightly, "I mean, you saw how he treated Forehead as well, right? What if he tries something with her?"

"He'll get neutered." Naruko said flatly, "If not by me or you, then by Tsume-sama or Hana-sempai. He's an idiot, but he isn't _that_ foolish."

"He'd _better_ not be that stupid." Anko growled a kunai in one hand that Sarutobi couldn't remember her having drawn.

"I am certain that Kiba will behave himself." Sarutobi said in a placating manner, "And I have taken the precaution of giving Haruno Sakura a chakra sensitive locking seal on her door. None but she can open the door, and the door itself is reinforced with several seals that make it resilient to all but high rank fire jutsu."

"That…ought to make her relatively safe." Kurenai said thoughtfully, "This is supposing that Inuzuka Kiba is stupid enough to try to do something to her, of course."

"I'm going to start working on Fūinjutsu." Naruko said grimly, "I was looking over the index of the Uzumaki Fūinjutsu Library and there are some useful seals in there, like one that sends up a chakra flare when certain conditions are violated the _**Koware Kyōkai Fūin (Broken Boundary Seal)**_."

Sarutobi's head snapped around at that. "You could have that seal made?" he asked quickly.

"My calligraphy needs some work before I can begin to learn even basic storage seals and explosive tags." Naruko said thoughtfully, "But with my clones and access to Iruka-sensei, I could probably get to the point of creating an intermediate seal like the _**Koware Kyōkai Fūin **_in about three months, perhaps two if I _really_ abuse my clones."

"Do it." Sarutobi said, making it an order, "That seal could be far more useful than just guarding a genin's bedroom. Consider this an ongoing C-Rank mission."

Naruko snapped to attention. "Hai, Hokage-sama." she said seriously, soldier to commander rather than granddaughter to grandfather as she usually did.

Sarutobi nodded. "Now, let's head to Team 8's new home. Naruko-chan, send some clones to the Hyuuga estate and the Yamanaka Flower Shop to pick up your teammates things."

Naruko nodded and created fifty shadow clones, which split into two groups and sped off out the door to the homes of her teammates.

"Why do I suddenly feel like I unleashed gremlins in a machine shop?" Sarutobi asked aloud, "Oh, that's right - I just sent fifty Naruko's out into Konoha without supervision."

Naruko pouted at this remark.

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**Timeskip - Ten minutes later**

**Gate to Former Toji Clan Estate, Clan Residential District**

"That…is an impressive gate." Anko deadpanned. Team 8 and the Hokage stood in front of what was indeed an impressive gate. The gate itself was three meters high and made of intricately woven steel, forming a kind of lattice. In structure, the gate would be termed a Nijūmon (Two Story Gate) as it had a second floor that was obviously accessible, considering it had a half dozen of Naruko-clones standing guard on the second level.

"Impressive, but useless against shinobi." Kurenai said critically.

Naruko shrugged and walked over to the gate and stopped on top of a circular indentation just in front of the gate and turned towards the group.

"I, Uzumaki Naruko, Clan Heiress of the Uzumaki Clan, do recognise Yamanaka Ino, Hyuuga Hinata, Mitarashi Anko and Yūhi Kurenai as honoured guests and allies of the Uzumaki Clan." the last Uzumaki said in a clear voice, "They may come and go from here at their own discretion."

The indentation glowed and the impressive gate behind her retracted into the ground with barely a well-oiled click, leaving Team 8 gawking. Naruko merely turned and walked through the gateway as if it was an everyday occurrence, which it probably was for her.

"…How?" Kurenai got out.

"The original Clan Compounds of Konoha have defences that activate when the seals that govern them detect that the bloodline they are keyed to be reduced to a single member." Sarutobi told them as he led them through the gateway, "A lot of them were created by the Nidaime Hokage and, when he forced through the Conquering Clan Act, he altered those seals to also detect when his law had been invoked correctly, so as you can see, Naruko is well protected here."

"But that gate-" Kurenai started to ask, before the sight before her made her speechless.

A beautiful oriental manor stood proudly before them, made in the _Buke-Zukuri_ style (Military Family Style) of a traditional aristocrat's palace. The main stone-paved path was lined on either side by Komainu (Lion-Dog) statues, with the occasional pair of Kitsune statues here and there.

That sight was breathtaking enough, but the army of Naruko clones running through katas across the grounds was even more so. Especially since the clones were practicing a style that none of Team 8 recognised.

"This is the Uzushiogakure version of our own _**Hakage **_style, the _**Ushio-ken**_." Sarutobi explained, "In order to learn her Clan Style, Naruko has to master this style first."

"Shouldn't she focus on fixing the errors in the _**Hakage**_ style that she knows first, before she learns an advanced Taijutsu style like that one?" Kurenai asked.

Sarutobi gave her a strange look. "Kurenai that _is_ a basic style that was taught to entry-level genin in Uzushiogakure." he said carefully.

Kurenai's eyes bulged slightly. "But…that taijutsu, at least from what I could make of the katas, was more advanced than the style that _I_ use!" she exclaimed.

The Hokage shrugged. "Uzu had much higher expectations of its genin. Of course almost every shinobi in Uzu, with a few exceptions, were members of the Uzumaki Clan." he replied.

"Damn. The gaki's not doing too badly." Anko said appreciatively, "Hey old man, won't she need to spar in order to improve her style some more?"

"From what I hear Anko, your services will not be needed in that department." The Hokage replied with a chuckle, "Gai-kun has asked to be allowed to give her remedial taijutsu lessons, as well as give her stamina, muscle and endurance training, subject to Kurenai's permission of course."

Kurenai's eyebrow twitched. '_First she goes to Iruka for advice on the __**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**__, then she says she's going to have remedial calligraphy lessons with Iruka and now Gai is wanting to give her training as well. Is she even my student?_'

Aloud, she said carefully, 'Hokage-sama, is it just me, or is everyone trying to poach my student?"

Sarutobi chuckled again as they approached the entrance to the mansion proper. "I'm certain it seems that way to you Kurenai, but Naruko has been quite severely handicapped by the Academy senseis' sabotage. She requires help in areas that you yourself have admitted you have little skill in: your calligraphy is average at best and you are a genjutsu expert with, again, average skill in taijutsu. I would advise you to allow Iruka-kun and Gai-kun to aid her in those areas and focus on her chakra control and adding a few ninjutsu to her arsenal."

Kurenai grumbled at first, but accepted it with a slight sagging of her shoulders.

Naruko was waiting for them at the front door, a smile on her face. "This way." she called over her shoulder as she opened the door and stepped through, closely followed by Team 8 and the Hokage.

The interior of the building was surprisingly spartan for such a fancy mansion, although Naruko explained that she had gathered up most of the expensive things and sealed them in storage scrolls, as well as throwing out most of the damaged things.

"Ji-chan told me about the G.H.A. yesterday, so I set some of my clones to setting up rooms for Ino-chan and Hinata-chan, as well as rooms for Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei for if they want to stay here." Naruko told them as they walked towards the living quarters.

"Naruko, you didn't have to do that!" Kurenai protested.

The Uzumaki Heiress shrugged. "It was more for Anko-sensei, because Ji-chan told me her landlord is being a teme again." she replied.

Anko looked briefly surprised, before sending a small glare towards Sarutobi, who had an innocent look on his face.

The Snake Mistress turned back to Naruko. "I won't accept charity, gaki, so I'll be paying you rent. Understand?"

Naruko nodded. "How much does your landlord charge you, Anko-sensei?" she asked.

"Five hundred ryo a month for a dingy little apartment." Anko said sourly.

Naruko scowled. That was how much _she_ had had to pay for her old apartment.

"I think two hundred a month is more than enough, wouldn't you say." Naruko offered.

"Deal!" Anko said quickly, making Kurenai and the Hokage laugh. Ino and Hinata giggled at the mutual accord the two had struck.

"I'll draw up a rental contract later on." Sarutobi said once he stopped laughing, "Would tomorrow be acceptable?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Anko said with a small grin.

"Here we are." Naruko said as they reached a wall that had a five pointed star that had symbols on its points representing the five elemental ninjutsu on it and a Yin and Yang symbol in the centre.

"A dead end?" Ino asked bluntly.

"Nope, a Karakuri hidden door." Naruko said with a grin. She walked up to the wall and hit the elements in a specific order so fast that no one could see the order. With a grinding clank, the Yin and Yang centre of the star opened up, revealing a switch.

Naruko flipped the switch up and down before pushing it in and quickly withdrawing her hand. The flap for the switch compartment closed with a snap and the entire wall shuddered before sinking into the ground, revealing a corridor beyond it.

"This way." Naruko said as she stepped through the doorway.

"Yeesh, the Toji Clan was paranoid." Anko muttered as they followed Naruko. Behind them, the door clanked shut again.

"You think _that's_ paranoid? Aside from the living quarters, the entire mansion is nothing but one giant trap!" Naruko called over her shoulders as they walked into the living room.

Sitting down, Naruko continued, "The rest of the mansion is a decoy. The entire Clan lived in this wing, which is marked down as being 'storage' on almost every blueprint you look at. There are traps of all sorts across the entirety of the decoy-part of the mansion, which are controlled from a special room in the basement of this section."

"How'd you get into this section then? If you didn't know it was here, then it might as well not exist." asked Kurenai.

"The key line is 'almost every blueprint', Kurenai-sensei." Naruko replied, "Almost none of the blueprints submitted to the Civil Management Office are anything close to accurate, but the secret files in the Hokage's office are 100% accurate and have to be by law."

"Makes sense." Anko remarked, "If you have a rowdy Clan that needs putting down, having an accurate layout is critical to reducing casualties."

"Just so." Sarutobi said with an approving nod at Anko's deduction. "The Toji Clan specialised in creating Karakuri mechanisms, as well as their unique shuriken fighting style, so it is of no surprise that their mansion is a death-trap once the mechanisms are activated."

Ino gulped. Noticing the uneasiness in Ino's posture, Naruko gave her a reassuring smile. "Don't worry Ino-chan. The traps are deactivated and only the Clan Heir or Clan Head can activate them." she reassure her friend, who smiled back and nodded her thanks.

A loud clank signalled the arrival of the platoon of Naruko-clones carrying Ino and Hinata's stuff.

"Let's get you girls settled in!" Naruko said enthusiastically.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The Next Day, 11.00am**

**Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower**

"Team 8, reporting for duty Hokage-sama." Kurenai said with a small smile. Behind her, Naruko, Ino and Hinata were waiting for their first mission. Well, Naruko had already _technically_ completed six missions and was on her seventh, but this was her first mission as a member of a team.

"Indeed." smiled Sarutobi. Next to him was Iruka, who nodded to Naruko with a grin.

"Let's see here…" Sarutobi said, looking through the scrolls of D-Ranks for a decent one. "Ah, here we are. The Konoha Hospital ordered a delivery of medicine from Kusa no Kuni and it is waiting in the warehouse for delivery."

Kurenai looked at her genin. Naruko didn't like hospitals and was slightly pale, but nodded at her. Ino and Hinata were indifferent to the mission.

"Team 8 accepts the mission." Kurenai said, taking the scroll from the Hokage. "Team 8, move out!" she ordered and they did indeed move out.

Thanks to Naruko's Shadow Clones, Team 8 finished the delivery mission in good time to accept another one, this time weeding a garden.

Hinata and Ino were the ones to shine in this mission, Ino because of her knowledge of botany and Hinata because she grew herbs as a hobby, so Naruko had taken her lead from them.

The Hokage had been very pleased with Team 8 and had dismissed them early so they could help Anko move into Naruko's home.

"Jeez, Anko-sensei. You like bondage or something?" Naruko asked as a full body latex suit fell out of a box onto the floor of Anko's former apartment, much to Anko's embarrassment. Ino and Hinata went bright red at the sight, with Hinata fainting at Naruko's words.

"So what if I do gaki?" Anko shot back, a blush on her face.

"Soooo…you like being tied up?" Ino asked her face still red.

"And who says that _I'm_ the one who's tied up?" Anko said with a lecherous grin on her face.

"B-But that's a _female_ bodysuit!" Ino pointed out.

"And?" Anko asked unperturbed, "I like girls _and_ guys."

"Eh? You can do that?" Naruko asked, curiously.

"Yeah, 'course you can." Anko replied as she put the suit back in the box and secured the lid properly before giving it to a Naruko-clone, "Quite a few kunoichi bat for the other team, although most of 'em aren't as open about it as I am. Then you get kunoichi like me, who are, as I like to call it, greedy and bat for both teams."

"ANKO!" Kurenai shrieked her face bright red, "This is hardly appropriate for three twelve year olds! They shouldn't even do…_that_…until they're married!"

"Firstly Nai-chan, they are legally adults. Old enough to kill, old enough to sleep with someone, or even listen to someone talk about bondage." Anko said seriously, "Second, don't try and enforce your morals on others. I know you don't approve of the fact I like girls as well as boys, but it's up to these gakis to decide for themselves who and what they like, _not_ you."

The three genin gulped as the small apartment filled with tension as the two jonin stared each other in the eyes, both unwilling to concede the point.

Naruko looked between the two older females and sighed. '_Why the hell does everything I ask always end up causing problems?_' she thought and clapped her hands once, which broke the tension and drew the attention of Anko and Kurenai.

"Look, I only asked because I was curious. I don't want you two fighting because of a question I asked." Naruko said, "And for the record, Anko-sensei is right. We decide who we like, not you Kurenai-sensei. I will listen to your opinion, but I will like who I like regardless."

"Attagirl, gaki!" Anko said, clapping Naruko on the back heartily, "Now, wake up Hinata there so we can get this show on the road!"

As her team scurried around handing boxes to Naruko-clones, Kurenai frowned. Naruko and Anko, in constant close proximity, for an extended period….

…This was a bad thing.

'_They'll either kill each other, or Naruko will end up bound in that latex suit._' Kurenai concluded with a feeling of dread.

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**Next Chapter: More D-Ranks, Training and the Flames of Youth!**

**Author's Note: No, Anko is not going to be a member of the harem. Will she seduce Naruko at least once? Hmmm….interesting idea that I'll have to think about.**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

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Ninpo: Kakuremino no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Magic Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu

Rank: E

Type: _Ninjutsu, General Skill_

Effect: _An Academy level skill that does not require chakra to use. The user hides behind a cloth or cape that is painted to match the surrounding background. Used extensively by Uzumaki Naruko during her pranking sprees._

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	7. More D-Ranks, Training and the Flames

**Authors Note: Guest reviews are, to quote Shikamaru, becoming troublesome. Why, you might ask?**

**Because I have to respond to them via my chapters, rather than a PM. I will ask that you review while logged in, so I can respond by PM rather than waste time and page space responding this way.**

**The guest review in question was of chapter two and calls the council 'an overdone fanon concept'. This is incorrect.**

**During peacetime, the Honoured Advisory Council (Danzō, Koharu Utatane and Homura Mitokado) serve as a council to advise the Hokage.**

**If the Hokage dies without clearly naming a successor, a council formed of the Fire Daimyo, the Advisory Council, the Head of ANBU, The Jonin Commander (Shikaku Nara) as well as the Fire Daimyo's own Council will appoint one.**

**Both councils are on the Naruto Wikia. For the first, type in 'advisory council', for the second merely look at the Fire Daimyo's page.**

**I merely altered the idea to include the other clan heads and a scattering of civilians.**

**Enough from me for now. On to the fic!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is Masashi Kishimoto's creation, not mine.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 7: More D-Ranks, Training and the Flames of Youth!**

**08.00am, 1 Week Later**

**New Uzumaki Clan Compound, Clan Residential District**

Naruko walked into the kitchen, yawning tiredly. She was wearing panties and a shirt, her usual sleepwear. She waved a hello to Ino, who was already at the table eating a very spartan meal, which was a very small salad.

"Is Hinata-chan up yet?" Naruko asked as she grabbed a cup Ramen from the cupboard.

"Yeah, I think she's doing her morning warm-ups in the training room." Ino replied after she swallowed her mouthful of greens before her eyes zeroed in on the cup Ramen Naruko was filling with hot water.

"Urgh, you _need_ to eat something other than Ramen, Naruko." the Yamanaka Heiress said, wrinkling her nose in disgust at the instant meal.

"Just as soon as you start eating more than an anorexic sparrow, Ino-chan." Naruko retorted as she waited impatiently for her breakfast to cook.

"You both have a point brats." a voice said from behind them. Turning around, Ino and Naruko immediately blushed red at the sight before them.

Leaning on the doorframe with her hands crossed underneath her breasts was Anko, wearing a wide grin and nothing else. Literally.

"Anko-sensei!" Ino yelped and swung around to face away from the naked kunoichi, "Put on some _clothes_!"

"Meh. We're all girls here." Anko pointed out, "Why so shy, Flower Girl?"

Ino growled at the nickname. Anko had given it to her after discovering that Ino was not only knowledgeable about flowers, but also almost obsessed with them. She never missed the chance to tease Ino about it.

"Because it's not _decent_ to walk around naked!" Ino retorted, face still red as a rising sun.

"Do tell who's going to see me other than you three gakis?" Anko challenged, "And even if they do, so what? I'm damn proud of my body, so as they say: If you've got it, flaunt it!" and posed sexily as she spoke.

Naruko, who had been staring at Anko with an enraptured expression, shook her head and blurted out, "How the hell are your boobs that big?"

Anko cupped the aforementioned boobs. "Ah, these girls? Plenty of varied foods, milk and exercise." She said with a smirk.

Naruko looked at her own cleavage. She had the second biggest breasts in her graduating class, second to Hinata's small D-cups. She was currently a mid-C cup. Ino was a large B-cup.

"Well, I suppose I could eat other things…" Naruko mused aloud, causing Ino to gape at her.

"You'll listen to what she says but not me?!" Ino squeaked in fury.

Naruko shrugged. "She has bigger boobs than you, so I think she knows what she's talking about." she replied.

"And...it doesn't bother you that she's naked?" Ino pressed for clarification.

Naruko just looked at her for a moment. "One, She's right; we're all girls here, Two, It's her body, she can do with it as she pleases and Three, we are kunoichi. Using our bodies as weapons is part and parcel of what we do, a prime example being seduction missions." the Uzumaki Heiress said slowly, as if she were lecturing a child.

"_Exactly_!" Anko said approvingly, "Now that at least one of you has learned your lesson, I'll go and get dressed."

With that, the Tokujo turned and walked back towards her room, her swaying hips catching Naruko's attention and making her blush again.

Ino meanwhile, was irritated. "You mean she did that deliberately?!" she said in disbelief.

"Uh…Yes, I do believe she implied as much a moment ago." Naruko said with a shake of her head.

"WHY?" Ino sounded incredulous.

"I think she was making a point, Ino-chan." Naruko said thoughtfully, "I mean, did you _see_ her body? Curves in all the right places and nicely muscled to boot. All that from eating a normal amount of various different foods in addition to regular ninja work."

Ino looked sceptical, making Naruko sigh. "Look, Ino-chan. Who is the more experienced kunoichi, you or Anko-sensei?"

"Anko-sensei of course, but what has that to do with anything?" Ino asked.

"Everything, Ino-chan." Naruko said, "I never listened to you or Sakura-chan about Ramen, because I didn't think you knew what you were talking about. You and her are my age, inexperienced and barely ate anything because of your 'diet'. Anko-sensei, on the other hand, is a mature, experienced kunoichi who eats normal portions of food. Well, she does eat a lot of Dango, but that must be her Ramen."

"O…kay. So?" Ino said bewildered.

"It boils down to this: ask any experienced kunoichi you like whether or not they have ever needed to diet since becoming kunoichi. I bet you a hundred ryo that every single one will say no." Naruko replied, "Personally, if it means getting a body like Anko-sensei's, I'm happy to eat different foods. You need to ask yourself a question, Ino-chan: are you a kunoichi or just playing ninja?"

With that question, Naruko grabbed her chopsticks, cup Ramen, and walked out the door, leaving a confused and irritated Ino behind her.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - 3 Hours Later**

**Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower**

Yūhi Kurenai was very smug. Her team, thanks in part to Naruko's Shadow Clones, had completed more than twice the number of D-Rank missions than the rest of the new teams had.

The missions had always been boring chores for the most part. Weeding gardens, mending fences, delivering packages, finding lost pets, helping people move house, walking dogs and buying groceries were just some of the missions D-Ranks included.

Out of the last week, only two missions stood out in Kurenai's mind. The first was the time they had gone to the Inuzuka's to walk their dogs. Kiba had been the one to greet them at the door and had shouted to his mother that 'Five bitches were at the door.'

Tsume had arrived at the door to see Kiba wrapped in snakes by an irate Snake Mistress. After Anko had reluctantly released the boy, Tsume explained that -this time- Kiba had merely been using Inuzuka terminology. The Inuzuka were very close to their Ninken partners, to the point that some of their pack-behaviour and mannerisms rubbed off on them, meaning that when Kiba called them bitches, he meant females, rather than using the word as an insult.

Things had gone more smoothly after that, but Kiba had made a point to stay as far away from Anko as was possible when they returned the dogs to the Inuzuka Compound.

The second had been more problematic. They had accepted a mission to clear a field of cleared forest of tree stumps. Unfortunately, when they had arrived, the man who had sent in the mission request had refused to let the 'Snake Whore' or 'The Demon Bitch' into his field and had tried to hit Naruko.

After the man had been sent to the hospital after being beaten unconscious by Ino and Hinata, the Hokage had merely fined them a D-Rank missions pay. The man, once he was out of the hospital, had been blacklisted from putting forth mission requests…ever, for attempting to attack a Konoha Shinobi.

The mission they had just completed, the infamous 'Catching Tora' mission, was one for the books. Hinata had just called out to Tora, and the cat had zoomed into her arms. Evidently, Hinata was good with animals. This had put Team 8 at the top of the Tora Retrieval Leaderboard with the fastest time ever, barely half an hour.

As the client, Madame Shijimi, the wife of the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni, left, Tora being squashed to death in her vice-like grip, Team 8 felt rather sorry for the poor thing.

"Very well done, Team 8." Sarutobi told them, "That mission is usually the bane of the genin. Tora escapes far too frequently, so it's sort of a right of passage to do the mission at least once-"

"TORA-CHWAN, NOOOOO! GET BACK HERE!" was heard from the corridor.

"-I don't suppose you'd be willing to grab Tora again?" Sarutobi changed what he had been about to say, with a slight amount of hope in his voice.

"Regrettably Hokage-sama, we have a training session this afternoon, so I'm afraid we must decline." Kurenai said smoothly, "Might I suggest Team 7?"

Behind her, Team 8 giggled at the thought of Team 7 being scratched to pieces by the cat, as she usually did to genin attempting to catch her.

Sarutobi eyed Kurenai with suspicion. "You really want to embarrass them _that_ much?"

"They need a wake up call." Kurenai replied, "I've seen their so called 'training sessions', and it is pathetic. Hatake doesn't teach them anything, he just makes them spar all the time, with some teambuilding exercises thrown in here and there."

Sarutobi sighed. Just as he had suspected. "Very well. I shall also have a word with Kakashi." he said with a resigned look on his face.

Kurenai nodded. Kakashi was about to get one hell of a wakeup call.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - Half an hour later**

**Training Ground 8**

"Waaaaagggh!" Ino yelped as she landed on her back yet again. She had been thrown there by Naruko and this made the sixth time in a row that Naruko had sent her flying, which was a complete reversal from how it had been in the Academy.

'_It's not fair! Her __**Ushio-ken**__ is far more advanced than the __**Hakage**__ style that I use!_' Ino thought pathetically as she got up once again. Thankfully, before Naruko could bruise her any further, Anko stopped the sparring session.

"Alright brats, that's enough warming up!" the Snake Mistress called gleefully from where she stood. Naruko immediately dropped from the ready stance of _**Ushio-ken**_ and grinned mischievously at Ino, who stuck her tongue out in return.

Hinata had been sparring against Kurenai and had been doing a credible job of it when the three genin lined up and waited for their teachers to address them.

"Right then." Kurenai said looking at each of her genin in turn, "Over the last week, Anko and I have been observing your various skills and come to some conclusions.

Naruko, you have, I am sorry to say, abysmal chakra control due to your Clan's heritage. I am going to start you on the Tree-Climbing Exercise, followed by Water-Walking. Your Taijutsu is growing steadily better with every passing day, although I think it needs some work with someone of more equal skill to fully work out the kinks."

Naruko nodded.

Kurenai turned to the other blond in the Training Ground. "Ino, you have excellent Chakra control, although that is mostly due to you having such small reserves. You will also be starting on the Tree-Climbing Exercise."

"But why?" Ino asked, "Doesn't the Tree-Climbing Exercise just improve your control?"

"It also builds up your chakra reserves, Ino." Kurenai explained, "Exactly the same as exhausting your available reserves does, except more reliably and at a slower, steadier pace."

Kurenai frown slightly as she spoke the next part, "Your taijutsu is…substandard. While it is adequate for sparring purposes against other users of the _**Hakage**_ style, against someone trying to kill you it is insufficient. I will be attempting to find you a style that might be a better fit for you than _**Hakage**_, but keep practicing it until I do, ok?"

Ino nodded sadly. She hated being bad at something. Naruko reached over and put a comforting hand on Ino's shoulder.

"I'll look through the Uzu Archive and see if there's one that'll fit you to the bone Ino-chan." she said with a smile.

Ino was floored by this offer. The Uzu Archive was what Naruko had taken to calling the scrolls left to her by her mother, so Ino recognised that Naruko had just offered her a piece of her Clan's legacy, her birthright.

"Naruko…I couldn't…" Ino protested weakly.

"Look at it from my point of view Ino-chan." Naruko said seriously, "I am the last of my clan and I am the next best thing to sterile thanks to the Uchiha who attacked me when I was seven. When I die, I want the legacy of the Uzumaki to live on, not be buried in some dusty storeroom. The best way I can accomplish that is by ensuring that my will give the contents to those who will use them and by helping my friends with their ninja skills."

The rest of Team 8 had been listening to her as she spoke. Anko and Kurenai looked concerned at Naruko's tale.

"What do you mean by 'next best thing to sterile'?" Kurenai asked gently.

"I was stabbed in the womb with a hollow, poison-loaded, tantō." Naruko replied softly, her hand automatically pressing against where the blade had pierced her body, "The med-nin were able to stop the spread of the poison, but -through either malicious intent or idiotic mistake- the poison is still in my womb. I was told that any foetus would die within the first month."

"Isn't there anything that can be done?" asked Ino, tears running down her cheeks at such a thing befalling her friend.

"My cousin, Tsunade of the Sannin, could purge the poison safely. Anyone else would risk sterilising me for good." Naruko replied sadly, "And the chance that cousin Tsunade will ever return to Konoha is slim to none."

There was silence in the field, broken only by Ino's sniffling until Kurenai cleared her throat and turned to Hinata.

"Hinata, like Ino you have good chakra control, but small reserves. Tree Climbing for you as well. I cannot help you with your Taijutsu unfortunately, but I will say that it does not seem to suit you." she said without rancour.

"Hai." Hinata said softly, her concerned lavender eyes focussed on Naruko even as she replied to Kurenai.

"OK Gaki's, my turn." Anko said with a wicked smile, "Take one of these papers each." She held out three pieces of square white paper to the three genin, who took a piece each.

"Alright, now channel some chakra -as small an amount as you can- into the paper." Anko directed as she withdrew another piece from her equipment pouch and held it up. "It will do one of five things: burn, crumble, get wet, get cut or crumple. This will tell us if any of you have an Elemental Affinity."

Hinata's eyes widened. "Ano…B-But that's at least chunin-level t-training." she pointed out quietly.

"If we were actually working on _mastering_ which element you get, I'd agree." Anko said with a grin, "This is just so we know which elements are easiest for you three to learn."

Naruko cheered up at this and channelled some chakra into the paper. It immediately split in half and both sides got very wet.

"Wow." Anko said with a raised eyebrow, "A strong Wind affinity AND a strong Water affinity. Unusual for a fresh genin."

"It's another Uzumaki trait." Naruko replied, "Our chakra is so dense and powerful that we often have multiple affinities and our affinities manifest at a young age. I would have tested my affinities myself, but there wasn't any of this paper in the Archive."

"So why'd you choose water and wind to learn the day before your genin test?" Kurenai asked curiously.

"Quite a few of the jutsu in the archive are Suiton and Futon ninjutsu." Naruko replied, "Uzu is an island, so a lot of the jutsu used and developed there focussed on using and reinforcing the natural defences of the Isle of Uzu to its defender's advantage."

"Makes sense." Kurenai said with a nod, "After Futon and Suiton, what is the most common jutsu in the Archive?"

"Doton, followed by Katon. Almost no Raiton other than the more widely available ones." Naruko said automatically.

"There has to be hundreds of jutsu in the Archive, so how could you say that as if it was rote-learned?" Anko asked, curiously.

"Shadow Clones." Naruko replied simply, making Anko facepalm at not seeing the obvious answer.

"Ino, your turn." Kurenai said. Ino channelled chakra into the paper and it got soaked, with a small corner burning slightly.

"A strong Water affinity AND a weak Fire affinity?" Anko gaped, "One person almost never has opposing elemental affinities, unless they have a Kekkei Genkai!"

"Well, it can't be a Kekkei Genkai, because then the affinities would be of exactly equal strength." Kurenai pointed out, "Even Naruko's strong Water affinity was slightly weaker than her Wind affinity, so I doubt that's it."

"Drat. I was hoping it was a Kekkei Genkai." pouted Anko, prompting sweatdrops to emerge on the rest of Team 8 at her attitude.

"Hinata?" Kurenai said, delicately moving the conversation away from Anko for the moment.

Hinata hesitated then channelled chakra into the paper. It very quickly became drenched by water, with a small cut going about a third of the way up the paper.

"Another strong Water affinity, with a middling Wind affinity." Anko noted, "Huh, looks like Hokage-sama knew what he was doing."

"What do you mean by that?" Ino asked pointedly.

"Some people believe that elemental affinities can be used similar to personality match ups." Kurenai said disdainfully, "For example, in your case, people with Primary Wind affinities supposedly match up best with people with Primary Water affinities, and worst with those with Primary Fire affinities."

"This explains why Sasuke-teme grates on my nerves like nails on a blackboard!" Naruko said with a grin, before she saw Hinata looking at the paper in horror.

"Hinata-chan, what's wrong?" Naruko asked gently.

"T-This e-explains why I-I can't use _**J-Juken**_ very w-well." Hinata stuttered shakily, "_**Juken**_ is an Earth-based T-Taijutsu style. I'm both W-Water _and_ Wind, which a-are the exact _o-opposite _of E-Earth!"

Anko and Kurenai's jaws dropped. "And your father never thought to check your affinity _before_ this?" the red-eyed jonin asked incredulously.

"Almost all H-Hyuuga have a Primary Earth affinity." Hinata replied, "It p-probably never occurred to him to check. Besides, Clan Tradition is that affinities are not t-to be tested for until a Hyuuga achieves genin rank o-or turns sixteen."

"_Idiocy_!" Anko hissed in disgust. Naruko and Ino looked angry as well.

"Hinata, tell your father of this discovery after training today. There may be some assistance he can offer you." Kurenai directed her surrogate daughter, who nodded nervously.

"Alright then." Anko jumped in eagerly, "Now, Naruko, you already know two jutsu, one for each element. Demonstrate them please."

Naruko shrugged and made a Shadow Clone who ran opposite her and _**Henge'd**_ into a chunin with silver hair and a permanent sneer on his face.

"Mizuki!" Ino muttered with a glare.

Naruko formed the Tiger Handsign and, a few second later, said, "_**Suiton: Teppōdama no Jutsu!**_" before launching five water bullets at the Mizuki-clone, dispelling it.

"Ah, the _**Teppōdama**_." Anko nodded, "A C-Rank Jutsu. Requires only one handsign to use _and_ doesn't require the use of a large body of water in order to use it either. Basic, but useful, as last week proved."

Kurenai pursed her lips in thought. "I think that they need to build up their chakra reserves a bit before they use that one." she said after a moment.

Anko motioned to Naruko, who made another Mizuki-clone. She then focused for a moment before clapping her hands and saying, "_**Futon: Reppūshō!**_", causing a gale of wind to blast past her and strike the clone, sending it flying, but not dispelling it.

"_**Reppūshō**_. Another C-Rank Jutsu." Anko said, "Again, only requires on handsign -of a sort- to use. Not really all that powerful, but it is useful in speeding up thrown weaponry, as Naruko did last week."

"Again, the other two need to build up their chakra reserves before they can use this jutsu." Kurenai said firmly.

"Okay then, now I'll demonstrate a jutsu then." Anko said. The Mizuki-clone stood up again to act as a target. The Snake Mistress then flipped through six handsigns, then said, "_**Katon: Endan! (Fire Style: Flame Bomb!)**_"

A small fireball was launched from her mouth that incinerated the clone in moments.

"The _**Endan**_ is another C-Rank Jutsu. While it does use quite a few more handsigns than _**Reppūshō**_ and _**Teppōdama**_, it can also be used in multiple ways. The first is, as you saw a basic fireball. The second is a series of smaller fireballs. The last type is a continuous stream of flames."

"Again, no." Kurenai said firmly. Anko narrowed her eyes at her friend.

"Nai-chan…" Anko said slowly, "You wouldn't happen to be wanting to limit their initial lessons to your personal favourite art, would you?"

Kurenai flushed at being read so easily. Naruko frowned.

"Kurenai-sensei, I can't use genjutsu because of my…'medical condition', remember?" she pointed out.

"I know, but you _can_ dispel genjutsu. You dispelled _two_ of my genjutsu _simultaneously _last week." Kurenai pointed out.

"Only up to C-Rank." Naruko replied, "Anything higher is impossible for me. My limits are _very_ well defined when it comes to genjutsu, Kurenai-sensei."

Kurenai sighed in defeat. "Very well. We will leave genjutsu for now, but we _will_ discuss this in the future. I _refuse_ to believe that you cannot use genjutsu if you can dispel it."

The Jinchuruki nodded reluctantly, although her eyes showed that she didn't believe that she could use genjutsu at all, regardless of Kurenai's assertions to the contrary.

The rest of the training session focussed on teaching Ino and Hinata the _**Teppōdama**_. Ino struggled with it slightly, but managed a single small water bullet by the end of the training session. Hinata, with her excellent chakra control due to her _**Juken**_ training, achieved a similar result slightly before Ino. Both girls were exhausted by the end of the session.

Naruko, meanwhile, had been running through her katas until she was satisfied that she did indeed have the basic _**Ushio-ken **_kata committed to muscle memory.

When Kurenai called the session to a halt, Naruko made a pair of Shadow Clones to carry a bleary Ino and Hinata back to the Uzumaki Compound.

"Hey Gaki!" Anko called as the clones gently picked up the other two genin and trotted off, "Whatcha doing now?"

"I have remedial Taijutsu training with Gai-sensei and remedial calligraphy with Iruka-sensei." Naruko replied as she made a small army of clones and sent them off to the academy.

"So, your clones do calligraphy and you do Taijutsu?" Anko smirked, "You really are uniquely suited for that jutsu, aren't you?"

Naruko blushed at the compliment, then looked around. Kurenai had followed Ino and Hinata home and there were no clones around.

"Umm…Anko-sensei…I need your help as well." Naruko said, blushing a bit.

"Eh? What with?" Anko asked curiously.

"At the Academy, I skipped a few of the more…boring…kunoichi-only classes." Naruko said frankly, "You know, Ikebana, local clothing and dialects, that kind of thing."

"Not a surprise." The Snake Mistress snorted, "Half of that stuff is never used, with the rest being a load of crap until you have time to blend into the area."

"Yeah…" Naruko said, her blush intensifying, "The thing is, the instructors barred me from the more...serious…classes."

"Such as?" Anko asked, very quietly as her eyes focussed on Naruko.

"Ummm…Shibari, Seduction, Sex Education, Basic Field Interrogation, Body Language Reading, how to dress to distract…" Naruko listed, wincing as the fury mounted in Anko's eyes.

"So basically, you've been trained as a ninja rather than a kunoichi." Anko said angrily. She just could not believe that the instructors at the Academy had been able to get away with so _much_ sabotage on a student's career -_any _student- without being spotted!

"That sums things up well, yes." Naruko replied.

"And why ask me?" Anko asked.

"Kurenai-sensei, judging from her behaviour this week, is a prude and would refuse." Naruko said flatly, "And I don't know any other seasoned kunoichi. Besides…you know how to flaunt your body well. I see all the guys, and more than a few girls, follow you with their eyes when we walk around on our missions, so I guess that you could say you're the best woman for the job."

The Snake Mistress of Konoha's mind was in a whirl. The girl was asking her because she considered her the best for the job? _Not_ because she was considered the biggest slut in Konoha, just because of her former sensei?

'_Then again, the kid doesn't know about that bastard Orochimaru now does she?_' Anko thought.

"Okay." Anko said with a shrug, "I'll give you a hand. But Nai-chan and your friends can't know about it, otherwise Nai-chan'll accuse me of taking advantage of you."

Naruko sighed. "Tell Ji-chan and ask him to make it a mission. Then, when Kurenai-sensei eventually finds out, you can wave it at her and tell her to take it up with him."

Anko grinned. "Sneaky, aren't you gaki? I'll go see the old man now. If he says yes, our first lesson will be in two days time, when both the Hyuuga and the Yamanaka are at clan affairs."

"Hai, Anko-sensei!" Naruko said with a small salute before she ran off, leaving Anko feeling confused.

She wasn't used to being respected, after all.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - 15 Minutes.**

**Training Ground 9**

When Naruko reached the training ground she had been told to go to for her lessons, she found it occupied by two other ninja.

One was a Hyuuga. He had long brown hair as seemed to be the fashion for male Hyuuga and it was tied in a loose ponytail. He wore his hitai-ate on his forehead, telling Naruko that he was a member of the Branch House. He wore a khaki shirt, bandages wrapped around his right arm and leg and brown shorts. He had the normal 'Hyuuga Face' as the rest of Konoha called it: arrogant, cold and utterly indifferent.

The other person was a kunoichi. She had light brown hair done up in a pair of buns and warm brown eyes. She wore a pink sleeveless blouse with red hems and green trousers. She looked much more approachable than the Hyuuga.

They were sparring when Naruko turned up. Seemingly on instinct, the girl drew and hurled a kunai at Naruko in less time than it took to blink. Naruko quickly dodged to one side and grabbed the kunai out of the air as it passed before glaring at the girl irately.

"OI! Watch yourself will you!" she yelled at the startled girl, "That almost hit me!"

"Sorry." the girl apologised, "My other teammate is around here somewhere and I though you were him."

"Would your teammate be approaching you at a _walk_ in the middle of a _spar_?" Naruko asked pointedly, making the girl blush at her rebuke.

"This is our training field. Who are you and why are you here?" the Hyuuga demanded.

"When last I checked, it was polite to introduce oneself before asking the name of another." Naruko retorted, making the Hyuuga scowl.

"Very well. I am Hyuuga Neji and this is Higurashi Tenten. Now answer my questions."

"I am Uzumaki Naruko, Clan Heiress of the Uzumaki Clan and I am here to meet with Maito Gai for extra taijutsu lessons at his request." Naruko replied formally.

"At his request? Why?" Neji asked curiously.

Naruko shrugged. "My taijutsu sensei back in the Academy was Toji Mizuki." she replied.

"The silver haired guy?" asked Tenten with a frown, "I heard he's in jail right now, though not what for."

"Attempting to steal the Forbidden Scroll of Seals, Assault on a fellow Konoha Shinobi and breaking an S-Rank law." Naruko replied.

"How do you know that?" Neji asked, suspicious.

"The Hokage announced it to my entire graduating class last week." Naruko replied, deciding they didn't need to know _she_ had actually been the one to steal the stupid scroll, "Ask Hinata-chan if you want confirmation."

One of Neji's eyebrows twitched. "My cousin?" he said blandly.

Naruko cocked her head to one side. "Hinata-chan is your cousin? You two look nothing alike. Not even your _**Byakugan **_look similar." Naruko said bluntly.

Neji's eyebrow twitched again. "So I have been told before." he said blandly, "I shall ask Hinata-sama when next I see her. What does Mizuki's imprisonment have to do with your extra lessons?"

"Hm? Oh, he sabotaged my taijutsu. Left me full of weak stances and openings." Naruko replied, "Gai-sensei helped my team out when two jonin and a chunin tried to attack us last week and offered his assistance to remedy that."

"Why'd they attack you?" asked Tenten curiously.

"S-Rank secret." Naruko replied, "But I hear one of the attackers was a Main Family Hyuuga."

Neji frowned. "Hyuuga Arashi has not been seen around the compound since last week."

The Uzumaki Heiress nodded. "Gai-sensei was the one who beat him. According to Anko-sensei, the man's stomach was covered in huge bruises and had almost his entire ribcage smashed."

The two other genin said in unison, "That's Gai-sensei's work."

"So…where _is_ Gai-sensei?" Naruko asked.

"He lost a bet with his 'Eternal Rival' Hatake Kakashi and has to run 500 times around Konoha…on one leg." Tenten replied, her face completely deadpan.

Naruko's jaw dropped. "What…the…_hell_?!"

"Welcome to our world." Neji muttered.

Tenten spotted the sword on Naruko's back. "Nice sword. Do you know how to use it?"

"Not yet. I have it on me because it's the symbol of rank for the Heir of the Uzumaki Clan." Naruko explained, "Besides, once the sword is sealed to me, anyone who tries to wield it other than me gets a massive electric shock to the chakra system through the _tenketsu_ in the hands."

"That would cause irreparable damage!" Neji exclaimed in shock.

"I think that's kinda the point." Naruko remarked dryly, "Benihime is a lady of sophisticated tastes."

Tenten froze. "Did…did you say 'Benihime'?" she asked hesitantly, "As in the sword of The Red Hot-Blooded Habanero?"

"My mum? Yep." Naruko replied.

"Your…_mum_?!" Tenten exclaimed, hyperventilating slightly, "Are you saying you're her _daughter_?!"

Naruko blinked. "Uh…That _is_ what I just said. The real name of the Red Hot-Blooded Habanero was Uzumaki Kushina, an S-Rank Jonin who died fighting against the Kyuubi."

The bun-haired girl looked like she was about to faint. Naruko looked to Neji for an explanation.

"Tenten is quite adamant that kunoichi can be just as good at being shinobi as ninja." Neji explained shortly, "She aspires to be as great a kunoichi as Tsunade of the Sannin, but she also admires other powerful kunoichi such as…your mother."

Naruko raised an eyebrow. "Wow. She admires my mum _and_ my cousin."

Tenten snapped out of her daze when she heard that. "Wait…your cousin? Who is she?"

"Tsunade of the Sannin." Naruko said as if she just said an apple was red.

Tenten's eyes rolled back in her head and she fainted, Naruko catching her before she hit the ground. Neji hadn't bothered moving, earning him a sour look from Naruko.

It took a few moments to revive Tenten, but once she did come around, she grasped on to Naruko's arm and stared her in the eyes.

"You're really related to Tsunade-sama?" she asked in an intense tone that spooked Naruko.

"Y-Yeah…My Great-Great Aunt Mito married Senju Hashirama, and my clan was already distantly related to the Senju anyway, so I'm related to her by both blood and marriage. I've never met her though." Naruko said nervously.

The older girl slumped slightly and let go of Naruko, who felt a bit sorry for her. "If I ever meet her though, I'll get her autograph for you, OK?"

This earned Naruko a smile and a nod of thanks.

"I can't say I've heard of an Uzumaki Clan." Neji said abruptly.

"It wasn't covered in your Academy classes?" Naruko asked with a frown. Seeing both genin shake their heads only made the frown become deeper.

"Right, so this _proves_ that someone has been trying to erase the history of my clan." Naruko said, anger evident in her voice, "The Sandaime Hokage told me _himself_ that he put the history of the Uzumaki Clan and Uzushiogakure into the curriculum himself after Iwa, Kiri and Kumo almost wiped us out!"

"Why would anyone do that?" asked Tenten.

"I…can't say. S-Rank secret." Naruko said absently.

Just then, a loud (not to mention familiar) shout shocked the three genin into watchfulness.

"HOWL, MY YOUTH! LEE, LET US PROVE THAT OUR FLAMES SHALL NEVER BURN OUT!"

"HAI, GAI-SENSEI! IF I CANNOT DO THAT, I SHALL CLIMB THE HOKAGE MOUNTAIN WITH MY TEETH ALONE!"

The second voice was unfamiliar to Naruko, but it seemed to be known to the other two, judging by the deadpan looks on their faces.

"_**DOUBLE DYNAMIC ENTRY!**_"

Having seen what the original _**Dynamic Entry**_ could do, Naruko took no chances and immediately hit the ground, barely dodging the pair of green blurs that zoomed over her head. Tenten and Neji had dodged successfully as well, no doubt from experience.

Naruko looked up to see a horrifying sight. Maito Gai stood proudly in his green spandex next to what looked like…a younger, identical clone of him. The same bowl cut hair, the same shaggy eyebrows, the same spandex leotard and the same orange legwarmers. The only difference between Gai and his clone was that the clone was barely a year older than Naruko was by her estimate.

"Neji! Tenten! I trust that you have not allowed your youthful flames to flicker and fade?!" Gai bellowed exuberantly, making Naruko wince slightly. In instances like this, having sensitive hearing _really_ sucked.

"Gai-sensei, you have a visitor." Neji said, ignoring the question.

Gai whirled around and caught sight of Naruko, making him simile.

"Ah, Naruko-chan! It is good to see you here! I take it Neji and Tenten have give you their most youthful greetings?" he said loudly.

"They introduced themselves, yes." Naruko replied with a wince at the volume the man was using, "Tenten-san seems to admirable reflexes; she threw a kunai at me when I entered the training field proper in the blink of an eye."

Tenten blushed at the reminder, while Gai-sensei beamed with pride.

"Ah, where are my manners? This is my other student, the ever youthful Rock Lee!" Gai proudly introduced his other student, who then posed in a variation of the infamous 'nice guy' pose.

"Yosh! I am known as Konoha's Handsome Devil! I cannot use Nin- or Genjutsu due to a medical condition, but I still aspire to be a great ninja nonetheless!"

"Uh…that's cool. I have a similar condition, only mine is just genjutsu." Naruko replied warily.

Lee's eyes widened at this revelation. He couldn't believe it, someone who shared one of his difficulties! Incredible.

"Indeed, she is full of the flames of youth my pupils!" Gai boomed, "Unfortunately, the most unyouthful Toji Mizuki sabotaged her taijutsu, which I find abhorrently unyouthful to the extreme. Therefore, I offered my services to aid her in bringing her burning flames to their peak, which she accepted!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Turn away!" Tenten shouted at Naruko, who looked puzzled at her. Movement caught her eye, and she looked back around just in time to see the two spandex-clad men exchange a manly hug, with a backdrop of a setting sun on a beach, the waves crashing dramatically in the background.

Naruko's brain shut down temporarily at the sight. Tenten and Neji had looked away just in time so they were fine, which allowed the bun-haired girl to drag Naruko away from the still hugging men and turned her around so her mind could recover.

After a couple of seconds, Naruko rebooted her brain and massaged her temples. "What, in the name of the Rikudō Sennin, was _that_?!" she asked as one of her eyes twitched.

"That was Gai and Lee's collaboration genjutsu that we call the '_**Warenai Yūhi no Jutsu (Unbreakable Sunset Jutsu)**_' because nothing can see through it or break it, not even my _**Byakugan**_." Neji said sourly, "Gai-sensei and Lee refer to it as the '_**Seishun no Yūhi no Jutsu (Sunset of Youth Jutsu)**_' however."

"Figures." muttered Naruko, "How long do they do this for?"

"Depends." Tenten replied, "If they feel particularly…youthful…up to half an hour. If not, about a quarter of an hour."

Naruko stared at her for a second in disbelief before forming a handsign and said, "_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_", calling forth over five hundred clones.

"What the-" Tenten gasped in shock.

Neji activated his dōjutsu and scanned the small army before him. "Impossible…they're all _solid_ clones with their own chakra networks…_none_ of them are basic _**Bunshin**_." he said, disbelief etching itself across his face.

"A most youthful effort." Gai said with a smile. He and Lee had stopped their 'Youthful Moment' when Naruko summoned her clones. "Is this the maximum amount you can create?"

"I have fifty at the Academy getting remedial calligraphy lessons from Iruka-sensei, ten doing archival work at my Compound, with another hundred practicing the intermediate katas of my villages basic Taijutsu style, the _**Ushio-ken**_." Naruko said with a shrug, "Oh, and ten on guard duty at my Compound as well."

"Six-hundred and seventy at the same time?!" Neji exclaimed.

"But I really have no clue what my limit on the jutsu is. The first time I used the jutsu, I summoned over a thousand." Naruko finished.

"_A thousand!?_" Poor Neji looked as if he was about to pass out from incredulity.

"Why have your clones work on kata though?" Tenten asked, "I mean, solid or not, they are just clones."

"Shadow Clones are unique among the clone jutsu in that when they dispel, the original receives the memories from the clones." Naruko explained, "So even a single clone doubles the amount of training you can do. Well everything but physical training, but ninjutsu, genjutsu and chakra control? Hell yeah."

"That is incredible." Neji breathed, "Why do more ninja not use this technique?"

Gai replied for Naruko. "Because the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ requires jonin level chakra reserves to use. In addition, Naruko here is the only person I have ever heard of to create more than thirty clones without collapsing from chakra exhaustion or worse, Negative Chakra."

"Negative Chakra?" Tenten looked confused.

"If you try to force out more chakra than you have when you are already in a state of chakra exhaustion, you can draw chakra from your own life force by mistake, which causes immense, and almost always fatal, damage to your body." Gai explained seriously.

"How is it that a rookie genin can use such a dangerous jutsu? It is, I assume, a Kinjutsu?" Neji asked pointedly.

"I am an Uzumaki." Naruko said, "More than that, I am of the Main Family of the Clan. While all Uzumaki have immense chakra reserves, those of the Main Family also have exceptionally _dense_ chakra as well."

"I see. Your chakra is powerful and dense, meaning you can use a considerable amount on Shadow Clones without risk of harm." Neji said as he gave Naruko a piercing look. "Yet I am still surprised you graduated. Your chakra control must be appalling."

"I _hate_ the _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_." Naruko said sourly, "It uses such an insignificant amount of chakra that I can't…what's the word…_compress_, fits I think, compress my chakra to make a single ordinary clone or even three. The _fewest_ I can make is thirty."

She pulled a face. "I mean, why bother learning such a _stupid_ jutsu anyway? Any ninja worth their hitai-ate can spot its lack of shadow, so an elemental clone would make far more sense to teach."

"Hey boss! Why'd you summon us?" one of the nearby clones called out, breaking Naruko from her grumbling.

"Oh. Sorry." Naruko said apologetically, "Alright ladies, form up and start running through the basic set of the _**Ushio-ken**_ for Gai-sensei to examine!"

"Right, Boss!" they chorused and ran to obey.

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Are clones _supposed_ to have that much free will?"

"It depends on the chakra put into creating them, my youthful student." Gai replied, "Only with Shadow Clones though. Elemental Clones have a fixed maximum amount of chakra that can be place into each one before it becomes overloaded and dissolves."

The next half hour passed by as Gai inspected every clone performing a kata and made minor corrections after comparing the kata to diagrams in the scroll Naruko gave him.

"Naruko-chan, your clones show you have an excellent understanding of _**Ushio-ken**_." Gai-sensei told her with a broad grin, "Now, dispel your clones and absorb the knowledge of the minor corrections I gave them."

"Ladies! Dispel in groups of three!" Naruko ordered her army.

As the clones started disappearing in puffs of smoke, Neji looked quizzically at Naruko.

"Why in small groups? Why not all at once?" he queried.

"Because that would knock me out." Naruko replied with an exaggerated wince, "Receiving the memories of five hundred clones at once? Ow. I'd wake up with the worst headache ever as well."

"It must be hard to use Shadow Clones in combat with that facet of the jutsu." Neji observed.

"Not really." Naruko replied, "Despite how useful they are in combat, they only take one hit before they are destroyed, which means that quite a few can be destroyed at a rapid pace with a wide-area jutsu. That keeps the memories from overloading me, especially if they are only a few minutes worth each."

"A most youthful explanation." Gai said approvingly as the last few Shadow Clones vanished, "Now, I would ask that you have a spar with my most youthful student Lee!"

"Hai, Gai-sensei! I shall show Naruko-san how brightly my youthful flames can burn!" Lee declared, his eyes burning with determination.

"Don't hold back on me Lee-kun." Naruko warned as she assumed the ready stance of _**Ushio-ken**_, called the Araumi (Riptide) Stance, with her right arm slightly extended forward and her left arm held back slightly and her feet set in a firm, but fluid position, "I won't be able to get a good feel for my progress without a good challenge of my skill."

"Yosh! Such a youthful request! I shall gladly honour it, Naruko-san!" Lee declared as he assumed the ready stance of the _**Gōken**_, one hand tucked behind his back and the other held diagonally in front of him.

"Just call me '-chan' Lee-kun." Naruko admonished, "Formality isn't my thing."

"Very well Naruko-chan." Lee said with a smile.

Gai looked on approvingly, Neji kept his face blank and Tenten smiled at how well her more…_exuberant _teammate was getting on with the girl, who Tenten had to admit was intriguing.

"Ready?" Gai said as he raised his hand. Seeing both genin nod quickly, their eyes locked on each other, the spandex clad jonin brought his hand down as he said, "Hajime!"

"**Ikimasho!**" yelled Lee as he charged forward so fast Naruko almost couldn't read his attack, a swift uppercut. She quickly dodged it and responded with a elbow strike at the arm itself.

The strike hit, but seemed to barely phase the other genin, who spun on one foot while aiming a low kick at Naruko's legs.

"_**Konoha Reppū! (Leaf Gale!)**_" Lee declared as he knocked Naruko's feet out from under her. Naruko quickly shot out one of her hands and pushed herself higher into the air. She flipped over in mid-air and landed lightly on one foot before launching herself at Lee again.

"That initial stance she used…it was defensive." Neji muttered as he watched the two genin exchange blows, "She used her arm like a measuring stick, so she could react to any attack from the front with due alacrity."

"She also recovered very well from Lee's _**Reppū**_." Tenten said thoughtfully, "Most fresh genin would be knocked flat when that's used on them. I guess that she's been training herself into the ground since she graduated."

"Hmm. Truly a most youthful student. Kurenai is lucky to have her under her command." Gai said with a nod.

"The Genjutsu Mistress?" Neji asked in surprise, "Why would Naruko be assigned to her if she is incapable of genjutsu?"

"I suspect there are a lot of factors." Gai replied as he observed Naruko being gradually overwhelmed by the more experienced genin, "Chief among them I suspect are the control exercises that Kurenai can teach Naruko in order to fully harness her reserves to her fullest."

Neji nodded thoughtfully. That made sense. Beyond Tree Climbing and Water Walking, there were numerous chakra control exercises that the foremost genjutsu expert of Konoha could teach Naruko, especially with her Shadow Clones to help her speed the process along.

"Oooff!" Naruko was on the ground with Lee's fist an inch from her nose. The bushy-browed genin grinned at the kunoichi he had just defeated.

"It seems that the victor today is me, Naruko-chan." Lee said happily as he backed off and offered her a hand up.

"Nicely done, Lee-kun." Naruko grinned ruefully as she grabbed Lee's hand and hauled herself up, "I couldn't even _see_ that last kick. You're _fast_."

"Indeed." Gai said as he stride across to the two genin, "Naruko-chan, I am impressed that, despite facing an opponent of superior skill and more experienced than yourself, you managed to hold your own for a decent length of time before being defeated. I am curious though; why did you not use ninjutsu?"

Naruko raised her eyebrows slightly. "I thought it was a taijutsu spar, Gai-sensei?"

"It was." Gai confirmed, "However most people would use ninjutsu if they are being pushed into a corner like you were."

"What would be the _point_ of using ninjutsu in a taijutsu spar?" Naruko said as she rolled her eyes, "The entire point is to improve my taijutsu. Using ninjutsu would be cheating and not gain me any improvement."

"Hmm. Well said." Gai nodded approvingly, "Now, this is what I learned from watching you. You lack physical strength and speed but have plenty of youthful stamina, which is good."

"So basically, I'm weak and slow, but I can fight for a long time. Great." Naruko said dryly.

"Ah, have no fear, Naruko-chan!" Gai assured her, "I have a most youthful solution that I can give you tomorrow. For today however, I would like you to perform 500 punches, 500 kicks and run around Konoha ten times."

Naruko stared at him in disbelief. '_I am _so_ going to be sore tomorrow._' she thought as she began the first punch.

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**Around the same time**

**Hokage's Office Hokage Tower**

Sarutobi Hiruzen had been forced to endure numerous awkward conversations in his long life as a shinobi. Having to give his son Asuma 'the Talk', explaining to Naruko about periods and cramps, having to explain the consequences of the Uchiha stabbing Naruko to her and explaining why most men had nosebleeds when confronted by naked females to her were just a few examples.

Sitting in his comfortable chair behind his desk, he was staring at Tokubetsu Jonin Mitarashi Anko in mild horror at what she had just suggested he do, which topped the list at the moment.

"Anko…let me try and understand what you are asking of me here…you want me to write up a mission, requested by _Naruko_, for _you_ about teaching _her_ all the important facets about being a kunoichi that were deliberately not taught to her in the Academy, including Shibari, Seduction and Sexual Education among other things." Sarutobi said slowly, "Is that about it?"

"Yep!" Anko grinned.

Sarutobi pinched the bridge of his nose firmly. "I just so happen to know what the Academy classes cover in those classes. You, Anko, will no doubt take one look at the lesson plan, scoff at it, throw it out, then proceed to…well, I really do not want to think of my surrogate granddaughter doing those kind of things, thank you very much. Suffice to say you will no doubt go far beyond the Academy's syllabus."

Anko's face became serious. "Hokage-sama, Genin Uzumaki has a lot of potential, both in combat and infiltration. Those…_fools_ at the Academy have earned the punishment for treason several times over for the amount of sabotage they have done to her training." she said formally, "But this latest offence is unconscionable. They denied her _gender_, denied her a fundamental part of who and what she is as a _human being_. I am honestly surprised she is as stable a person as she is."

"Naruko…is a strong girl." Sarutobi said absently, "You really believe that this is a necessary step for her?"

"Hokage-sama, the girl is a natural." Anko said frankly, "No ordinary kunoichi could come up with the _**Orioke no Jutsu**_. It is a classic case of using feminine wiles against those vulnerable to it, both straight males and lesbian/bisexual females. Hell, she got _me_ with it once. I was out like a light. Doubt she remembers me though."

"And there is no possibility that Kurenai-kun will not find out?" He asked.

"Nai-chan is a very good kunoichi, not that she'll have to be." Anko replied, "What I'm going to do initially is give her The Talk, followed by tips to improve her visual-psychological tactics."

An eyebrow went up on Sarutobi's face. "Her what?"

"Her sex appeal of course." Anko said bluntly, making the Hokage choke on his spit.

"After that, seduction, counter-seduction, Shibari, advanced rope escape techniques…" Anko listed calmly, "Anyway, the point is Nai-chan will be able to pick up on Naruko's change in attitude to me. A teacher of Injutsu (Sexual Arts) and her student have to trust and bond with one another and this is very easy to catch on to. If Nai-chan doesn't catch on to us, she will either have a concussion or not be Nai-chan."

Sarutobi was silent for a moment before sighing. "Very well. I will write the mission scroll up momentarily." he said, "But before I do so…"

He leaned forward and looked a now nervous Anko in the eyes. "I will warn you: Naruko is a family member to me in all but blood. She has trust issues and this request of hers shows she is willing to extend that trust to you. If you break her trust and hurt her, you will _not_ enjoy the consequences. Am I _clear_, Tokujo Mitarashi?" he stated in a soft but deadly voice that made Anko tremble slightly.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Anko whispered in reply, "I wouldn't anyway, I swear. I would _never_ hurt someone like my bastard of a sensei did to me."

"I know." Sarutobi said as he leaned back and grabbed a blank scroll to begin writing up the mission, "I just had to make my feelings on the matter clear. Besides, technically, you could count as Naruko's first girlfriend."

Anko blushed at the comparison. "Hokage-sama, I'm twice her age!" she protested.

Sarutobi chuckled. "And yet, you only look as if you are in your late teens." His brush danced across the scroll in well practiced strokes as he spoke, "I think, on reflection, that this is an excellent idea. You and Naruko are similar in many ways, so becoming closer to each other will be good for both of you."

Anko instinctively grabbed her shoulder where the _**Ten no Juin (Curse Seal of Heaven)**_ had been branded on to her by her sick and twisted former master.

"There. Done." Sarutobi said as he finished writing. He waited a few moments for the ink to dry before he rolled the scroll up and gave it to Anko.

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Anko said as she turned to leave, "I promise you, this is a mission you will not regret issuing."

After she left, the old man brought out some sake. After a meeting like that, he really needed some. Purely for medicinal purposes of course.

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**Next Chapter: The Seduction of Naruko**

**Authors Note: Sorry for the rant up at the top. I've been stressed the last couple of weeks, what with a relative going into hospital.**

**Anyway, the poll. The winner is…FemHaku with a whopping 50+% lead. Poor Isarabi never got above twenty. Kin got thirty-odd percent.**

**To answer any queries, No, Naruko will not be absorbing Kubikiribōchō (Zabuza's sword).**

**The next chapter will be deserving the M-Rating, so don't read if you aren't old enough. Later. **

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name in Bold is my creation.**

_Any Jutsu with its name in Italic is a Game or Anime Jutsu that has no rank and I gave it one._

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Katon: Endan - Fire Style: Flame Bomb

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive_

Effect: _A basic, but versatile, Katon ninjutsu that gathers oil in the user's mouth and, upon launching it at the foe, ignites it into a fireball. By partitioning the oil, multiple smaller fireballs are possible. A constant stream of fire is also possible with this jutsu._

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_DOUBLE DYNAMIC ENTRY_

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Collaboration, Taijutsu_

Effect: _A simple technique performed by Maito Gai and Rock Lee. The two users perform the Dynamic Entry at the same time, creating a near mirror image of each other as they do so._

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_Warenai Yūhi no Jutsu - Unbreakable Sunset Jutsu_

Rank: Undetermined

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary, Collaboration_

Effect: _A disturbing genjutsu utilised by Maito Gai and Rock Lee seemingly unwittingly. It creates an image of a setting sun at a seaside beach. This happens whenever Gai and Lee exchange 'Manly Hugs' and the entire picture causes severe mental trauma to anyone who sees it. Known by the alternative name of '__Seishun no Yūhi no Jutsu (Sunset of Youth Jutsu)'by both Gai and Lee. As the name suggests, this genjutsu has never been broken and cannot be seen through by two of the Three Great Dōjutsu._

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**Ushio-ken - Tide Fist Style**

Rank: N/A

Type: _Taijutsu Style, Offensive_

Effect: _The Basic Taijutsu style taught to fresh genin at the now-destroyed Uzushiogakure. This style focuses on offensive and passive defensive techniques. Most advanced taijutsu styles from Uzu require this style to be learned first._

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Konoha Reppū - Leaf Gale

Rank: D

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A relatively simple technique, being no more complicated than a rear-spinning low kick. With enough force behind it, this technique can send a grown man flying._

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	8. The Seduction of Naruko

**Author's Note: Whew, this was a **_**hard**_** chapter to write.**

**To answer a review from a few chapters back about Enki calling Naruko '****Kozō' as opposed to 'Gaki'. Has anyone watched Bleach in Japanese? Yes? Well, Mayuri Kurotsuchi calls Ishida 'Kozō' and it means brat, the same as Gaki. **

**Gaki can be an affectionate nickname, whereas Kozō is condescending. Roughly speaking, it is the same as with Baka and Ahō. They both mean idiot, but Ahō is far more insulting and demeaning (like calling someone crack head).**

**So, the order of the harem gathering is: Haku, Hinata, Ino, Tenten, Sasame, my mystery harem member and Sakura. Can you guess who my secret harem member is? If enough people guess by the next chapter, I will confirm it then.**

**Now, on to the fic!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 8: The Seduction of Naruko**

**Timeskip - Evening**

**New Uzumaki Clan Estate**

Naruko groaned as she walked into the mansion. Her arms and legs felt like someone had been smacking them with rubber hoses for five hours straight.

'_Gah. Dammit Gai-sensei!_' Naruko screamed to herself inside her head. She would have screamed aloud, but she was just too damn tired to bother. She had not only done the first set of exercises Gai had told her to do, she had sparred with Lee again…twice, and had done another repetition of the initial workout before Gai had called it a day.

Naruko reached the hidden door to the living quarters and ran through the opening sequence on autopilot. She was sooo going to kill Gai-sensei for this, right after she thanked him.

Hey, who said she had to make sense? She _was_ called the Most Unpredictable Ninja in Konoha after all.

As the Karakuri Door clanked open, Naruko wished she could have gone to Ichiraku Ramen for a post-training gorge of Ramen, but she remembered her own words to Ino that morning and had decided to see what was in the fridge at home.

"Naruko-chan?" Ino said as the bruised and battered kunoichi stumbled into the living room where Ino, Hinata and Anko were sitting and having a chat, "What the hell happened to you?"

"Extra training." Naruko grunted as she sat down on a free seat, "Remember Gai-sensei? He has a mini-version of himself…who kicks like a mule. He also has _insane_ training ideologies."

"What did he make you do?" Anko asked with a grin.

"Sadist." Naruko accused her, "1000 kicks and punches each, 20 laps of Konoha and three sparring matches against Rock Lee."

Ino and Hinata gaped at the tired girl. She had done all that and _wasn't_ unconscious?

Ino groaned. "Naruko, can you _please_ stop making the rest of us look lazy by comparison?"

Naruko grinned wanly at Ino. "Try being on this side of thing Ino-chan." she replied tiredly, "I have to counter all of Mizuki-teme's sabotage on me, which should take years. I'm essentially stuffing the most important parts of a _six year curriculum _into as short a time as possible."

"Ouch." Ino winced at the thought, "At least you have your clones to help out though."

"Doesn't help with physical conditioning though." Naruko said sourly, "Which is why I look like this right now."

"Have you eaten?" Anko asked with narrowed eyes.

A rumble from a now blushing Naruko's stomach answered that question.

"Wait…you _didn't_ go to Ichiraku's?!" Ino asked incredulously. Hinata also looked astonished.

"I…decided to start my new diet?" Naruko said sheepishly.

Anko grinned. "What do ya feel like having brat?"

"You offering, Anko-sensei?" Naruko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Consider yourself honoured, gaki. I only cook for people I like." Anko retorted, "Only Morino Ibiki, Hokage-sama, Nai-chan and a select few others have ever tasted my cooking. So, what do ya want?"

"Umm…Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlets)?" Naruko ventured hesitantly.

"Y'want the trimmings?" asked Anko as she stood, "Shredded cabbage, Miso soup, Tsukemono (pickled dish) and rice?"

"If…it's not too much of a bother…" Naruko said shyly.

"Tch." Anko snorted with a small grin as she headed towards the kitchen, "If I think something's a bother, gaki, _I'll_ be the first to say it, not you."

Naruko sat back in her chair and removed her hitai-ate with a weary sigh. Today had been the most physically exhausting day of her entire life.

"Naruko-chan, w-why do you like Ramen so much?" Hinata asked shyly.

Naruko looked at Hinata with a single eye open. "Because it is the Food of the Gods, Hinata-chan." she replied with a forced smile.

Ino, unfortunately, noticed this fact. "Nuh-uh, Naruko. That 'I'm Fine! Don't Worry About Me One Bit!' smile stopped working when we were nine." The Yamanaka Heiress rebuked her fellow blond, "Now spill!"

"But-" Naruko tried to protest, before giving up when she saw the determined glint in Ino's eyes. Whenever Ino got THAT look in her eyes, she never gave up. "Fine. Ichiraku's is the only eatery in Konoha that never tried to throw me out or poison me. Add that onto the stores only selling me out-of-date food -if they don't throw me out as well- at outrageous prices, and you get a one-food-only diet."

"P-Poisoned?" Hinata squeaked in shock.

"I used to get sick all the time when I was a kid." Naruko replied, "Turns out it was caused by small doses of poison, like a dozen different kinds. I guess they were trying to kill me and make it look like I was sickly or something.

Anyway, my chakra was strong even when I was young, so I had, and still have, an insane healing factor, which carried over to my immune system. I'm now immune to all of the most common poisons used across the Elemental Nations."

"All because they thought you were the damn fox?!" Ino ground out in anger, "I can't _believe_ how you were treated! I _cannot_ believe it!"

"I-It's not f-fair!" Hinata agreed.

"That was then, this is now." Naruko reassured her teammates, "If they tried any of that bull now that I'm a Shinobi, they could be sent to Ibiki or worse, be sent to the rock quarries for the rest of their life AFTER being sent to Ibiki."

Hinata and Ino didn't look convinced, but just then Anko came in with Naruko's Tonkatsu, so they let it drop.

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**Timeskip - The Next Day - After D-Ranks and Team Training**

**Training Field 9**

"So what are these again?" Naruko asked as she looked at the items Gai had just presented to her. They looked like four sets of Buddhist prayer beads.

Tenten, Lee and Neji had been sent home early. Well, _Tenten and Neji _had gone home. _Lee_ had been told to climb the Hokage mountain…with one arm tied behind his back.

"Yosh! These, Naruko-chan, will aid you in your most Youthful endeavours!" The spandex clad Gai replied with a 'nice guy' pose, "They are the anchors for a special Fūinjutsu that was taught to me by Jiraya of the Sannin. It will greatly increase your strength and speed once the training is complete!"

Naruko regarded the prayer beads dubiously, but mentally shrugged. Gai-sensei hadn't steered her wrong yet.

"OK, so where do I put them?" she asked with a grin. Gai beamed at her.

"One around each ankle and wrist." He told her, "But be warned: until the training is finished, you will not be able to remove them."

"Gotcha." Naruko said as she clamped the beads first around her wrists then her ankles before straightening up, "Now what?"

Gai ran through a lengthy series of handsigns and then slammed his hand onto Naruko's chest, making her redden and squeak with feminine outrage.

"_**Fūinjutsu: Teashi Omoidzuke Fūin no Jutsu! (Sealing Jutsu: Four Limbs Weighting Seal Jutsu!)**_" Gai declared. The prayer beads changed colour to red, then yellow, green and blue before returning to their original white hue.

"Gaaah!?" Naruko grunted in surprise. Her arms and legs felt like she was carrying a full squad of ninja…on each limb!

Gai noticed the strain on Naruko's face and grinned. "Ah, it seems that the Jutsu has taken hold! How does it feel?"

"Like…I have…people…trying to…rip my…limbs off!" Naruko said as her body shook from the effort of standing.

"Excellent!" Gai beamed even more -if that was possible- at Naruko's revelation, "Now, start running! 50 laps around Konoha!"

"Are you INSANE!?" Naruko shouted, "I can barely stand up, let alone run! I'll tear my muscles to shreds!"

"Most likely, but with your…ah, _tenant_, your muscles will heal at a most youthful pace, meaning you will master this exercise in no time!" Gai replied.

"And I'll know that…how exactly?" Naruko asked in a resigned manner.

"When the beads turn red, you will be able to remove them." Gai replied, "I have the utmost confidence that you will master this exercise in no time!"

Groaning with trepidation, Naruko starts to move. The sooner she got this finished, the sooner she could plot how to prank the sadist that was Maito Gai into submission - preferably in a mildly painful and/or embarrassing and humiliating manner.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - 12.00pm**

**Konoha Main Gate**

Kotetsu and Izumo, the so-called 'Eternal Chunins', couldn't believe their eyes. Uzumaki Naruko, the biggest bag of energy in Konoha, looked utterly exhausted. Her arms were shaking, her face was haggard and her running pace was flagging.

The two gate guards were here to relieve the so called 'dog watch' for a couple of hours, until the early morning crew were on shift. They were _not_ expecting to see Naruko lapping them at this hour.

"What's with her new jewellery?" Izumo whispered to Kotetsu as the girl jogged past, indicating the blue beads on her wrists and ankles.

"How should I know?" Kotetsu retorted. Right then, the beads glowed for a moment and turned red. Naruko stopped as soon as she caught sight of the beads on her wrist.

"_Finally!_" she half-groaned/half-wept, as she removed the cursed things from her body, "I cannot _believe_…it took eight hours…to get these things…offa...me…" she trailed off and collapsed onto the ground unconscious, spent from her training.

The guards make to go and assist her, but stopped when a purple-haired jonin in a trench coat leapt down next to the young kunoichi, concern written across her face.

"Dammit Gai, I _told_ you that this was too much for only the second day!" Mitarashi Anko muttered angrily as she gently picked Naruko up, "I'm so setting my snakes on the bowl-cut bastard for this. What?"

This last was directed towards a gaping Izumo and Kotetsu, who speedily shook their heads.

"Nothing." "Nadda." They replied at the same time.

"Good. Then there no reason for me to send spiky death your way." Anko said with a sniff before jumping away, Naruko tucked safely in her arms.

"OK, what the Hell?" Kotetsu said, bewilderedly, "Mitarashi Anko, the biggest sadistic bitch in Konoha, was treating Naruko like…like a sibling!"

"Dude, to quote you, how the hell should I know?" Izumo replied, his face equally as puzzled as his friend's was.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - Half an hour later**

**Naruko's Room, New Uzumaki Clan Estate**

Ino and Hinata looked at Naruko lying on the bed with worry in their eyes. The only reason they hadn't gone to look for Naruko after she hadn't come home by the time darkness fell was because Anko had told them she was training.

Anko walked in, shooed the girls to one side, and ran through two handsigns, causing a green glow to appear in between her hands, which were then places on Naruko's nearest arm.

"What's that?" Ino asked.

"_**Shōsen no Jutsu (Mystic Palm Jutsu)**_" Anko replied, "An advanced healing jutsu that a few ANBU, mostly in T&amp;I, know. Man, she's _really_ been through the mill. Her healing factor is kicking in though."

"Why would Gai-sensei do this?" Hinata asked in a whisper.

"He didn't mean anything malicious by it, brat." Anko said as she moved the healing jutsu to her patient's other arm, "He just got too caught up in his enthusiasm with a new student."

'_That, and Naruko's regeneration is _way_ beyond any sort of healing factor granted by human chakra alone, so this extreme training is uniquely suited for her._' Anko added silently.

"He's an idiot!" Ino snapped angrily, "She'd already trained all day with us when she went to meet him! She shouldn't have had to endure this!"

"To Gai's way of thinking, that just means he didn't have to make her do an easy warm up." Anko replied as she moved to Naruko's legs, "He may be nuts, but he IS the acknowledged Taijutsu Master of Konoha. There is _no-one _who knows more about how to get the human body into peak physical condition than him."

Anko finished healing Naruko and ended her jutsu. "Whew. I used a fair amount of chakra there. She's good, but she'll sleep like the dead tonight and eat like a horse tomorrow."

"Who's going to look after her?" Ino asked with a frown, "Hinata has family training the next two days and the Yamanaka Clan has a meeting tomorrow and who _knows_ how long that might last!"

"I have the day off from T&amp;I tomorrow." Anko said, "I'll look after her. Maybe she'll give me some money of my rent if I do."

Ino rolled her eyes. "_Sure_ she will, Anko-sensei." she said, her voice laced with heavy doubt and mild sarcasm.

"Bah. Scat brats. Off to bed with you!" Anko chased them out with a mad grin on her face.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - 10.00am**

**Naruko's Room, New Uzumaki Estate**

Naruko's awakening came slowly and painfully. Her arms and legs were fighting one another to complain about how sore they each felt and how little they appreciated her efforts the previous day.

"Owww…" she groaned as she sat up stiffly, wincing at the pain in her butt. Who knew that a person's butt could hurt so badly after being exercised? Moreover…should nails ache?

"You really did a number on yourself, brat." A voice said from the doorway. Naruko looked up to see Anko leaning against the doorframe, clothed this time thankfully.

"Yeah…I can tell." Naruko croaked back, her throat desert dry.

"C'mon then, lets get you fed, brat." Anko said as she turned around, "We've got a lot to cover today."

Naruko flushed as she remembered exactly _what_ they were going to cover that day. She shook her head determinedly as she slowly stood and wobbly made her way to the dining room. That could wait until _after_ she had refilled her stomach with food.

After a tasty meal of rice, miso soup and Karaage (Deep-fried chicken), Anko used her healing jutsu on Naruko again, which took away the lingering aches and pains of the previous day, thank kami.

Anko settled back in a chair of the living room. "I've managed to wrangle two days for the first lesson." she informed her pupil, "As Hinata is going to be away for two days, I asked Inoichi to keep Flower girl for an extra day. Add in the little fact that Hokage-sama gave Nai-chan an A-Rank mission for the next two days as her team was split up and we have plenty of time to cover most of your…_requests_."

Naruko, sitting opposite her, gulped slightly and cast around for something to say. "Umm…Why don't you have a nickname for Hinata-chan? Or me for that matter?" was the first thing she could think of.

"Most of the names I could call the Hyuuga girl relate to her Kekkei Genkai, not her as a person." Anko replied, "I prefer to get to know a person before nicknaming 'em. As for you…I don't wanna give you any nickname that compares you to your…burden."

"Thanks, Anko-sensei." Naruko smiled at the older woman.

"Meh." Anko grunted, fighting down a smile, "Me and you are a lot alike, gaki, more than you know. That's the first lesson today."

"Huh?" Naruko said, puzzled.

Anko slipped her coat off and exposed her shoulder. On it, was an intricate seal, surrounding another seal. The first was a bunch of complex sealing formula that Naruko couldn't make heads or tails of, except for the fact it was a containment seal.

The second seal was three magatama-shaped tattoos in a triangle formation. It was even more complex than the first one but she could tell, even with Naruko's small experience with seals, that it was sloppily made, with bad connections and poorly built matrixes all over the place.

"What _is_ that?" Naruko asked.

"This Naruko, is the _**Ten no Juin**_, the Curse Seal of Heaven, and it is the reason why I am held in only slightly higher regard than you in the eyes of the villagers." Anko said seriously.

"Wh...aaat?" Naruko breathed.

"My sensei was the Snake Sannin Orochimaru." Anko informed her bluntly, "I was the only survivor of my genin team during the Chunin Exams and afterwards, Orochimaru took me as his apprentice. He let me sign the Snake Contract, taught me all his Snake-style ninjutsu and taijutsu and I was happy.

Then he defected from Konoha, branded me with this…_abomination_…and left me to die in Umi no Kuni. See, this mark kills nine out of every ten people who are marked with it."

Naruko gasped. "He didn't…?!"

"You bet your ass he did." Anko said bitterly, "Problem is, I can't remember properly exactly what happened there. I remember two different scenarios. The first is the Hebi-teme telling me I'm weak and not worth training any further, then he marks me. The second is me refusing to obey the bastard when he wants me to betray Konoha, so he beats the shit out of me first _then_ marks me."

"If I get a chance, I'm gonna beat that teme until he begs for mercy." Naruko ground out, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"No, you'll run like the Kyuubi is after you." Anko corrected her sharply, "Although he's an A-Rank bastard, he's also a high S-Rank Nuke-Nin. Way out of your weight class…for the moment."

"For the moment?" Naruko asked excitedly.

"Yeah gaki, for the moment." Anko replied with an amused smile, "I'm classed as a high A-Rank Ninja in the Bingo Books of most countries. You, once you're trained up and all, can surpass my bastard-sensei. I'd stake my reputation on it."

"Your reputation as a sadistic and ruthless bitch?" Naruko asked for clarification.

"You catch on quick gaki." Anko said, her face becoming serious again, "Back to the point. Because of this damn seal, nobody trusted me. They all thought -_still_ think even- that I'm a spy for my ex-sensei. Meaning, to them, that I can't be trusted and that they have the right to treat me very much like they treat you."

"Assholes." Naruko muttered.

"And then some." Anko agreed, "Point is kid that I'm probably the only person in all of Konoha who has anything approaching an idea of what it's like to be you, which in turn means I'm the best person to teach you Injutsu."

"Injutsu?" Naruko asked with a frown.

"The Sexual Arts." Anko replied bluntly, "Although it actually encompasses everything from 'Dress to Distract', to actual sexual techniques, to how babies are made, to _**Ninpo:**_ _**Kō Ninshin no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Anti-Pregnancy Jutsu)**_."

Naruko was blushing in a way remarkably similar to Hinata. "So, err, where…do we start?"

Anko grinned wickedly. "Why, at the beginning of course - the birds and the bees!"

The next two hours were the most embarrassing of Naruko's life as Anko explained to her all about the process of how babies were made, veering between technical descriptions and graphic details as she spoke.

By the end of it, Naruko's face resembled a cherry in colour and she was fidgeting at some of the descriptions Anko had used.

Anko was grinning at how quiet and uncomfortable the usually rambunctious kunoichi was now. This was such a fun assignment!

"Any questions, gaki?" she asked innocently (or as innocently as Mitarashi Anko was capable of being, so _not_ innocent at all).

"No!" Naruko squeaked, "I'm fine!"

"Good." Anko said, making Naruko wilt in relief only to stiffen at Anko's next words, "Then we'll move on to the next topic!"

"W-which is?" Naruko asked cautiously.

"Discovering your sexual orientation." Anko said cheerfully and smirked when the blush on Naruko's face redoubled in intensity.

"Wh-What?!" Naruko looked like she'd just been punched in the stomach.

"This is actually fairly important, Naruko." Anko said seriously, "A rule that was set down in the early days of Konoha is that no one, ninja or kunoichi, is sent on a seduction mission that requires them to sleep with a target who is not of their own gender of preference."

Naruko thought for a moment. "So, you can be sent to seduce both girls and guys because you're greedy?" she asked at length.

"Yep, although I prefer girls. An ANBU ninja acquaintance of mine is gay and is very successful at the seduction of his own gender. There's couple of chunin kunoichi I know for a fact are lesbians and excel at seducing geisha and whores." Anko said with a thoughtful look on her face, "They're twins and boy, are they _good_ in the sack."

"Twin sisters? At the same time?" Naruko asked in amazement.

"Oh yeah. They live in the same apartment, so it would be rude to…_entertain_ only one of them." Anko said with a lecherous grin.

"And it has nothing to do with the fact that you are insatiable, sensei?" Naruko asked pointedly.

"Well, that too." Anko admitted as she stood up and walked towards Naruko, "But they both enjoy sharing a lover when it's not a mission and they enjoy being dominated as well, so they're a good fit for me."

"D-Dominated?" Naruko asked as Anko drew closer, deliberately walking slowly.

"Uh-huh. In bed, most people fall into three categories. Submissive, dominant and switch." Anko said as she grabbed Naruko, tugged her to her feet, dragged her to the couch, sat her down before taking a seat herself right next to Naruko, and continued.

"Submissive people let other people take the lead in bed. In extreme cases, they let their bed partners have almost total control of their lives. A good example of submissive girls that you know would be Hinata and Flower Girl."

"Hinata-chan? _Ino-chan?_" Naruko asked, uncomfortably aware that Anko was well within her personal space, "Hinata-chan I can see, but Ino-chan? She's way too…forceful!"

"Ah well, that's the thing. Big strong women -big strong _men_ as well come to think of it- aren't always that way in bed. I am, but that makes me the exception rather than the rule." Anko replied as she removed her trench coat and motioned for Naruko to do the same.

"Flower Girl struts and barks, but her bite ain't all that strong. A hundred ryo says that she blushed like a tomato in her Shibari class and she had to change her panties before going to bed on those days. She may not be aware of it herself, but I've had her pegged from the get go as a sub, just from all the descriptions her dad gives in T&amp;I." Anko said as Naruko followed her lead.

"W-Wow." Naruko said as she processed this new information, "Really?"

"Yep. Next, there are dominants. Doms are usually the ones in charge during sex. Most people, through what whacked-out thinking process I do not know, automatically assign men to this category, even although it is patently _not_ true. I am a Dom. I am _always_ in charge during sex." Anko said as she leaned back on the sofa.

"The final category, switch, is rare. They can assume either role at will and are very much sought after by the ANBU Seduction Squad." Anko said as she reached over and pulled Naruko back, the blond turning her head to look at Anko automatically.

"You, Naruko, are a switch." Anko told the younger kunoichi as her blue eyes widened in shock.

"B-but…I'm a _virgin_!" Naruko protested, "How can you tell?"

"Experience." Anko replied, "You shift between bossing Ino about, to being quiet and compliant when Pinkie smacks you one. I'm willing to bet that if I were to seduce you, here and now, you'd be calling me Anko-_sama_ by the end of the day. I'm equally sure that, after a bit of 'intense training', you could get Flower Girl to call you 'Naruko-sama' after a couple of rounds."

"Whaa…?" Naruko spluttered, "Ino-chan's my friend! And I'm pretty sure she's not into girls!"

"Hmmm…I don't hear you protesting about yourself not being attracted to girls, gaki." Anko noted with a smirk.

Naruko's jaw flopped open and closed for a while before she fell back onto the couch in defeat. "I guess…I had suspicions a couple of days ago, when you walked into the kitchen naked."

"Yeah, I kinda figured by the way you were ogling my tits." Anko replied dryly, "Not that it wasn't flattering mind you, but just something to keep in mind."

"Hey, I've never seen a naked woman other than myself!" Naruko protested, "Can you blame me for being curious?"

"Nope." Anko replied, "Well that sort out one thing at least - you're definitely at _least_ a lesbian. Does the though of sleeping with a guy repulse you?"

"N-No…not as long as it isn't Sasuke-teme." Naruko said, pulling a face.

"So bisexual, with a preference for women, and brooding emo's are not your type." Anko snorted in amusement, "What're you gonna do if Flower Girl snags the Emo?"

The Uzumaki Heiress' face twisted in distaste at the thought. "She won't." Naruko said with certainty, "Sasuke-teme is too much of a self-centred prick to get touchy-feely with a girl -or a guy, if he swings that way- so Ino-chan and Sakura-chan are going to be disappointed if they keep pursuing him. When they get knocked back, I'll be there as a friend for them."

"And if they want to be more?" Anko asked seriously.

"Whatever it takes for my friends to be happy." Naruko replied, equally serious.

Anko smiled. "Well said. That means you will be good at Injutsu."

"W-Why?" There was confusion in the younger kunoichi's voice as she asked her question.

"Because those who are unable to care are poor at lovemaking and cannot use the Injutsu techniques properly." Anko replied, "You care a lot for your friends, who you see as your family. Put this caring into your Injutsu and you will master it in no time."

"Do you really think so?" Naruko asked shyly, "I mean…I am 'The Demon Bitch' after all. Once they find out, do you think my friends will stick around?"

"If they don't, then they weren't real friends in the first place." Anko said firmly, "Take it from me. I found out who my _real_ friends were when the Hebi-teme betrayed Konoha. However, from what I've seen, your teammates at least seem to be intelligent. I'm sure that they will be able to see that you are a scroll and not a kunai."

"Hope so." Naruko muttered forlornly.

Anko looked at the girl with hidden pity. '_She's hiding it well, but she really does fear the thought of having her friends know about the Kyuubi. I think a little distraction is in order._'

"Well gaki, that's the birds and the bees taken care of." Anko smirked at the younger kunoichi, "Next thing on the list: retail therapy."

"Huh?" Naruko said, puzzled.

"Shopping." Anko translated, "Your outfit is damn good for Dress to Distract purposes, but it still needs a few add-ons and alterations to be that little bit more distracting, so shopping."

"I _do_ need to get a katana so I can learn kenjutsu katas." Naruko thought aloud.

"It's settled then. To the Shops!" Anko declared as she stood.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - Half and hour later**

**Civilian Clothes Shop, Konoha Shopping District**

"Thank kami I brought along storage scrolls." Naruko said as she tucked one into her coat, "Anko-sensei, Is that everything?"

Anko, who was examining some very daring panties, looked up at Naruko's question. "Let's see…sexy skirts, tops, bras, panties, jewellery, shoes…ah, we need to go to a ninja shop next, to improve your regular genin outfit." she said absently.

The shop owners in the civilian district hated Naruko and would normally have refused to sell her anything. Anko had wrapped the first store owner stupid enough to refuse to serve Naruko in snakes, causing the word to spread: don't refuse to serve the Demon Brat while she was with the Snake Whore.

"'Kay, but most ninja shops will refuse to serve me." Naruko warned her as they left the store. She had bought her kunai and shuriken from a store run by a recent immigrant to Konoha, who thus had no reason to hate her.

"Nah, I know one that'll serve ya." Anko said with a grin, "They're civs, but they're also retired ninja. Their adopted daughter is a genin as well, so they understand the needs of a genin very well."

"Cool. So where's this shop?" Naruko asked excitedly. They were in a small close that had very little foot traffic.

"Here." Anko stopped in front of a plain, nondescript door, "The first lesson in being a shinobi - look underneath the underneath. A phrase used too often by Hatake _Baka_shi, but in this case it fits. This is the best shop for ninja gear in Konoha, but only those people who are in the know can shop here."

Naruko nodded and the two kunoichi entered the shop. Naruko had to stop herself from drooling at the array of weaponry on display. Ninjatō, Kodachi, Shuriken, Kunai, Katana, Nodatchi, Wakizashi, Senbon…there seemed to be no end to the weaponry on display. She thought she could see a Zanbatō or two as well.

Behind the counter, there was a familiar bun-haired kunoichi wearing an apron over her pink blouse.

"Welcome to the Higurashi Weaponry and Ninja Gear Shop!" Tenten said, then caught sight of Naruko, who grinned at her.

"Hi Tenten-san." Naruko greeted the older genin warmly.

"Naruko-san. Here to get a new weapon?" Tenten asked as she returned the smile.

"Need your opinion on the gaki's outfit first, Panda Girl." Anko said with a grin as Tenten glared at her. She _hated_ being called that -which was why Anko called her it in the first place.

Tenten vaulted over the counter and walked over to Naruko. She examined the clothes closely, tugging them occasionally and paid close attention to how the seams reacted.

"Not bad." Tenten eventually pronounced begrudgingly, "These are quite good quality clothes and they'll hold up alright in the field. But…"

"…But your store can give her far better quality clothes." Anko finished with a grin, "We'll get the same bodysuit and trench coat, but a smaller, tighter vest and the brat wants a katana or two."

"Oh?" Tenten turned to Naruko, "Why do you need a Katana? You already have Benihime. And more than one?"

"Remember how I told you that Benihime isn't sealed to me yet?" Naruko asked. Receiving a nod from the other girl, Naruko continued, "Well, once she_ is_ sealed to me, I have to rename Benihime. She was originally called the 'Uzuryū no Tsurugi' (Blade of the Whirlpool Dragon) by her creator, the Nidaime Uzukage.

Each successor renames the sword. The Sandaime Uzukage was…bloodthirsty…and called her 'Ketsuryū' (Blood Dragon). The Yondaime Uzukage called her 'Amanokaze' (Heavenly Wind) and my Grandfather, the Godaime Uzukage called her 'Kōyō' (Autumn Leaves)."

"Wow." Tenten muttered, "And I take it that you haven't thought of an appropriate name for her yet?"

"Nope. Each name has to mean something to the person who names it." Naruko explained, " The Nidaime Uzukage, Uzumaki Rensa, forged it to be one of the strongest blades in existence, so she named it after the greatest mythological creature. The Sandaime, Uzumaki Masahiko, loved to kill and considered himself invincible, so the sword was named for both blood and dragons.

His son, Yondaime Uzukage Uzumaki Mikihiko, was a peaceful man and fought only in defence of his home. But when he did fight, he swept all who faced him away like divine wind blowing insects away, so named it his own nickname. The Godaime Uzukage, Uzumaki Tatsuya, was a deeply spiritual man who was almost assassinated during autumn. He was alerted to the assassins by them stepping on fallen leaves. He took that as a sign and named her appropriately."

Anko shook her head in wonder. "Man, that sword has one complicated history. Got any idea for the name?"

"Not yet. I am working on it, but it isn't easy." Naruko admitted.

"Well then, lets get you a couple of good swords to use until you can think of a good name for Benihime." Tenten grinned as she led Naruko to the arrayed ranks of swords.

After some trial and error, Naruko was happy to purchase two high quality swords that Tenten recommended. Neither were Meito, but were very high quality blades none the less. She planned to absorb one into En'ō Kago-te, then go looking for the old Toji Clan Armoury so she could find an appropriately high-quality Fūma Shuriken to absorb.

Tenten promised that the new coats would be far more durable than Naruko's current ones and that the Clan Symbols would be in the same locations. The preparations would take a couple of days at most, so she should come and pick them up then.

Anko and Naruko left the shop more than pleased with the morning's efforts.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - Half an hour later**

**Naruko's Bedroom, New Uzumaki Estate**

Naruko was nervous. Anko had told her to change into the fancy lingerie they had bought for her earlier, and then disappeared. She was now wearing a black negligee, a thong and black stockings. Her hair was down and she was sitting on the bed.

She was feeling…odd. In her life, she had rarely had much acknowledgement of her gender from those around her, save for the villagers' unflattering insult of 'Demon Bitch'. Even Iruka-sensei had treated her more like a boy than a girl during the Academy. Yet here she was, wearing something that many girls would be cooing over and she was feeling, dare she say it,…sexy?

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the door opening. Naruko looked up to see Anko clad in clothes very similar to her own. The negligee was cut to emphasise Anko's impressive bust, her thong was hiding the bare minimum and her legs were bare of stockings. Overall, she looked…highly desirable.

"Hey gaki." Anko said in a husky voice, "Like what you see?"

"A-Anko…-sensei?" Naruko gulped at the older woman, who was advancing towards her slowly, "Wh-what…?"

"The third part of Injutsu training is to lose your virginity." Anko muttered as she reached Naruko. The older kunoichi grasped the blond girl's chin gently in one hand and made her look at her face.

"I won't force you to sleep with me, Naruko." Anko said gently, seeing the slight fear in her student's eyes, "This is entirely your choice. If you say no, I'll find someone else that you will approve of."

Naruko, her mouth dry, licked her lips, "Will…Will you be gentle with me?" she whispered.

"Of course." Anko replied, "Although later on, there will be some…rough parts...that need to be covered, but your first time is special. I wouldn't spoil it for you by hurting you."

After a scant moment, Naruko nodded, "I'm all yours for the next day then…Anko-sama."

**Insert Lemon Here! Thanks to a certain prude who reported this story to the Mods, I can't post Lemons anymore or they will be taken down again. See my profile for alternate website to read the Lemon if you are interested**

Utterly spent, the new lovers cuddled together as they fell asleep, both looking more relaxed than they had in years. Unnoticed by the two sleeping females, the streaks of red in Naruko's hair deepened in colour and spread slightly so there was somewhat more red than before.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**At the Same Time**

**Hokage's Office**

"Kakashi, what did I tell you just last week?" Sarutobi asked wearily. He was sitting behind his desk gazing disappointedly at the Elite Jonin, who still managed to look unconcerned in the face of his leaders' disapproval.

"With respect Hokage-sama, the training of a genin team is entirely up to the Jonin-sensei. Not other teams' Jonin-sensei, not you." Kakashi said in a monotone.

Sarutobi's gaze sharpened at this rebuke. "No Kakashi, it is not. That _particular_ law only applies to teams that have at least a year of experience and only if the team in question does not contain a shinobi of particular significance to the village.

Team 7 has two shinobi of particular interest; Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura. The former because he is the last supposedly-loyal member of his clan, the latter because she has both an almost eidetic memory and nigh inhuman levels of chakra control."

"The only reason she has such good control is because her reserves are so pathetically small." Kakashi pointed out, then winced as Sarutobi closed the jaws of his trap.

"Which you have done nothing about! No chakra control exercises, no jutsu training, no taijutsu training, unless you call those mockeries of spars 'training'!" Sarutobi shouted, finally fed-up of Kakashi's laziness, "The skill level of your genin is _exactly the same _as when they were in the Academy!"

"They are genin and it's peace time, they don't need to be war trained!" Kakashi protested, prompting an incredulous look from Sarutobi.

"There _is _a middle-ground between 'no training at all' and 'training for war' Kakashi!" Sarutobi said as he shook his head, "I would have thought you would know that; evidently I was wrong. Alright, look. I will be blunt: you are on your last chance. In a month's time, your team will be tested by an individual of my choice. Should your team give a good accounting of themselves, you will remain the jonin-sensei of Team 7.

Should they _not_ perform adequately on the other hand, you will be demoted to the _Assistant_ Jonin-sensei and Mitarashi Anko will be made the new Jonin-sensei of Team 7. Do you understand, Kakashi?"

"ANKO?! You'd let her loose on a team of _genin_?!" Kakashi yelped in shock, "She'd tear them to pieces! She wouldn't know moderation if it slapped her across the face with a fish!"

"In which case, you had better get to training your genin then, shouldn't you?" Sarutobi said meaningfully, "Oh, but before you go, why did you make Sakura the ASL? I would of thought your bias would be to make Sasuke ASL rather than Sakura."

"To try to break the girl of her Fangirlism and to teach Kiba and Sasuke that gender and birth are meaningless in the real world." Kakashi replied sullenly.

"This is one decision you've made that I approve of, Kakashi." Sarutobi said with a small smile, "Now, go to your genin and train them!"

Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sarutobi pulled out his crystal ball and used his _**Tōmegane no Jutsu (Crystal Ball Jutsu)**_ to ensure that Kakashi was actually obeying his order rather than go to the Shinobi Memorial as he usually did. Unsurprisingly, the man was at the memorial reading his book. Sarutobi shook his head sadly, as he put the ball away.

"Ah, Kakashi-kun, you really shouldn't take me lightly." Sarutobi muttered as he opened a drawer, withdrew a small orange book and opened it at the bookmarked page with a perverted giggle.

"Jiraya-kun, you are a genius writer! I'm proud of you, my boy." Sarutobi muttered as a small stream of blood trickled down one nostril as he continued to read the masterpiece of a book, which was called 'Icha-Icha Paradise'.

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**Next Chapter: Gentle Steps and Flower Petals**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with it's name Emboldened is of my own creation.**

_Any Jutsu with it's name in Italic is a Jutsu from a Game or the Anime that was unranked. I make no claim on any Jutsu so marked._

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_Fūinjutsu: Teashi Omoidzuke Fūin no Jutsu - Sealing Jutsu: Four Limbs Weighting Seal Jutsu_

Rank: A

Type: _Fūinjutsu, Training_

Effect: _Anchored in four wristbands resembling Buddhist prayer beads, this jutsu drastically increases the beads' weight until they are immensely heavy. As the user trains, the beads change colour from white, to blue, green, and yellow and finally red, which signifies the training is complete. Created by Jiraya of the Sannin for rapid and drastic muscle training for Maito Gai._

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Shōsen no Jutsu - Mystic Palm Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Iryō (Medical) Ninjutsu_

Effect: _An advanced Jutsu that speeds the healing process of the targeted body. A vital technique on the battlefield, as it bypasses the need for surgery as it affects both external and internal injuries. Requires considerable chakra control to use._

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Tōmegane no Jutsu - Crystal Ball Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _By tracking a target's chakra signature, the user can observe them through the medium of a crystal ball. Used extensively by the Sandaime Hokage to maintain public order in Konohagakure._

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	9. Gentle Steps and Flower Petals

**Author's Note: Yo. Sorry for the length of time between updates, but I've been unwell. Migraines are not pleasant to have. Especially when you also have a cold. Ouch.**

**So, here's the new chapter. It's pretty much a flesh-out chapter for the rest of Team 8 and some others.**

**For those that are wondering, En'ō Kago-te will have the following weapons added to it: Ninjatō, Nagamaki, Duel Kodachi, Katana, Spear, Kusarigama, Tantō, Fūma Shuriken, Tessen and Kama.**

**I'm considering replacing one of them with Tiger Claw gauntlets. Which do you think would be the one to be replaced?**

**Read and review please!**

**On with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. I am not that good a writer to have made it all up.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 9: Gentle Steps and Flower Petals**

**The Same Day**

**Clan Meeting Room, Main House, Hyuuga Clan Compound**

Uncharacteristically, the Hyuuga Clan Elders were _not_ glaring at Hinata, which was a novel experience for the Heiress. Usually most of them were gazing at her in absolute and complete contempt before her father entered the room and stopped them with his mere presence.

Instead, the Elders were quiet and, dare she say it, worried about something. Off the top of her head, she could think of but one incident that could cause the Elders to become as concerned as they were and she was secretly looking forward to watching their faces as they were lambasted for letting Arashi get out of control as he had.

Just then, Hyuuga Hiashi walked in and took his position next to Hinata. From what Hinata could see of her father, he was tense, angry and looked ready to flay the skin from something or, more to the point, some_body_.

"Hyuuga Arashi has been formally convicted of one count of Assault on Fellow Konoha Shinobi, two counts of Conspiracy to Commit Murder, one count of Destruction of Private Property and one count of being an unregistered Sealmaster." Hiashi said without preamble, "I have just returned from a meeting with Hokage-sama, Inuzuka Tsume and Yamanaka Inoichi where I was informed of this. Comments?"

Arashi's father, Elder Gyoza, frowned thunderously. "He was convicted without a representative of the Hyuuga Clan present? Outrageous!" he blustered, "The conviction cannot stand as it is illegal!"

"In matter of fact it can and _does_ stand." Hiashi growled, "Your foolish _imbecile_ of a son was responsible for the manufacture of over a hundred _badly made _explosive tags that were used to blow up the former residence of one Uzumaki Naruko. The tags were infused with his chakra, which is a solid piece of evidence linking him to the attempt to kill Uzumaki-san, _negating_ the need for a Clan Representative or even a trial.

In addition, he was defeated, with the greatest of ease I might add, by Elite Jonin Maito Gai when he and his fellow conspirators attempted to assassinate Uzumaki-san in person. The evidence is both unimpeachable and undeniable."

Another Elder, Hyuuga Oboro, cleared his throat delicately. "What did Hokage-sama have to say on the subject?" he asked softly.

Hiashi snorted. "He was furious that his surrogate granddaughter was almost killed _twice_ in less than _three days_. He gave me a list of punishment that can be given to Arashi and we must pick one of them." he said angrily.

"He _dares_ to make demands of _us_?" Gyoza asked furiously.

"He is the _Hokage_." Hiashi reminded the insular idiot, "He is not the leader of a lesser Clan that we can cow with our status, nor is he a civilian merchant we can impress with our power and prestige. He has the right to summarily execute Arashi for his attack on his Clan Ward or even use this to force a lessening of the status of the _entire Hyuuga Clan_ for the affront offered to the position of Hokage for one of us attacking one of his Shinobi.

Instead, he is choosing to humiliate us by forcing _us_ to choose his punishment and forbidding any punishments not on the list. If we ignore his directive, the consequences will be…unfavourable to the Clan."

The silence was palatable in the room, before one of the three Branch House Councilmen spoke, "As…_distasteful_…as this might be, we should at least hear what punishments we have to choose from before considering other actions. Hasty choices are for those who let their emotions rule them, such as the Inuzuka. _We_ are Hyuuga. _We_ rule our emotions, _not_ the other way around."

Hiashi nodded at the man, Hyuuga Kagemaru if he remembered correctly. "Well spoken." he praised the man, "Yes, you should hear all of the options before a decision is made, although I should warn you that neither of the options are what you might call palatable."

"Get on with it already Hiashi." Oboro snorted, "The warnings you're giving won't sink in until we hear the damn choices anyway."

Hiashi chuckled humourlessly. "A fair point. Very well. These are the two choices; One: Arashi's chakra is to be sealed, he is to be dishonourably discharged from the Ninja Forces and he is to be banished both from the Clan and from Konoha. Two: He forfeits all of his personal possessions, both ninja tools and Clan items that do not contain Hyuuga Clan secrets to Uzumaki Naruko as per the Spoils of War Act, section two, all of his mission pay for the next ten years is to be given to Uzumaki Naruko and he is to branded with the Sleeping Bird Seal."

The council was in uproar. The punishments were extreme opposites and contradicted too many Hyuuga Clan Laws to be permitted! The additional stipulation that no other punishments were to be allowed precluded the use of the Caged Bird Seal, so the banishment option was out of the question.

Hiashi smirked internally. The deal that he had worked out with the Hokage was working out wonderfully. The council was faced with two distasteful options: One, send Arashi out into the world with no chakra and no seal to keep the _**Byakugan**_ safe and Two, make Arashi into a source of income for Uzumaki Naruko and prevent his line from continuing. It was obvious which would be picked and it was only a matter of time before the council realised it.

Gyoza summed up the feelings of the Hyuuga Council quite well with his roar of, "This is an outrage! All of these so-called punishments are little more than a slap in the face of Arashi, myself and the Hyuuga Clan as a whole! They cannot be countenanced!"

Hiashi regarded the man for a moment before turning to Hinata. "My daughter, you were present when the second assassination attempt was made, were you not?" he asked coolly.

"H-Hai, I was Otou-sama." Hinata replied.

"Had Maito Gai not interfered with Hyuuga Arashi's attack on Uzumaki Naruko, what do you think would have happened?" he questioned neutrally.

Hinata chewed on her lip as she thought for a moment before answering. "I-In all likelihood, Hyuuga Arashi would have b-been engaged by Tokubetsu Jonin Mitarashi Anko, whilst my Jonin-sensei, Yūhi Kurenai, dealt with the Inuzuka Clan member and my teammates and I would have still confronted Yamanaka Haruo." she ventured.

"I see." Hiashi's poker face was inscrutable, "And what is your assessment of Yamanaka Haruo's abilities?"

"H-He's slightly slower than average for a Jonin, with powerful Katon ninjutsu in addition to the techniques of the Yamanaka Clan." Hinata responded immediately, "With the combined abilities of me and my teammates, we could have, and did, defeat him."

"The final blow was by Uzumaki-san was it not?" Hiashi questioned.

"H-Hai. She dodged a powerful Katon, the _**Gōryūka no Jutsu**_, and delivered a strong kick that Haruo was unable to avoid." Hinata replied.

"Oh? And why was he unable to avoid Uzumaki-san's attack?" Hiashi questioned.

"B-Because…I…I used the _**Hakke Sanjūni **__**Shō**_ on him a minute before the last blow was struck." Hinata replied hesitantly.

"Preposterous!" scoffed Gyoza, "I know for a fact that Hiashi has not taught you _any_ of the three Main Family Taijutsu attacks, Hinata-'sama', so cease your lying at once!"

"Honoured Elder, I am t-telling the t-truth." Hinata replied.

"Indeed she is." Hiashi said as he turned the 'Hyuuga Glare' onto Gyoza, making the Elder quail slightly, "She performed the technique on Hanabi at my request and performed it nearly perfectly."

"But then…how did she learn it?" Oboro questioned, "Did you teach her, Hiashi-sama?"

"No, I did not." Hiashi replied, "Hinata learned the technique _by herself _from a scroll she found that was written by her mother, Hitomi. I have examined the scroll in question and have found it to contain an altered version of the technique, designed for a Hyuuga who has a Water Primary Elemental Affinity. Hinata, you recently had your Affinity tested, did you not?"

"H-Hai." Hinata replied, "I-I have a primary Water Affinity and Secondary Wind Affinity. My Sensei's were…shocked…that my affinity was not tested before now."

Gyoza sniffed disdainfully. "That happens to be a Hyuuga Clan _tradition_ that outsiders have _no_ right to criticise."

"That is a subject for another time." Hiashi said pointedly, "To return to the main point, Hinata is right in saying that Arashi would have been confronted by Tokujo Mitarashi, who would have been hard pressed to defeat him. Jonin Yūhi would be useless against a Hyuuga as our _**Byakugan**_ all but completely negates her genjutsu. Moreover, he would have torn through the members of Team 8 with ease.

Should Arashi and his allies have succeeded, he would have been forced to flee Konoha with them, resulting in a _**Byakugan**_ _outside of our control _and vulnerable to being captured by Kiri or Kumo, which would make my brother Hizashi's sacrifice a wasted effort. I am thankful that Maito Gai was assigned to aid Team 8 in this matter otherwise two jonin and three genin -_three_ _Clan Heiresses _no less- would be dead and our bloodline would be vulnerable to all and sundry."

There was grumbling from the Main Family Councillors, but no outright disagreements.

Hiashi looked around before continuing, "As we are all in agreement that the _**Byakugan**_ _must_ remain within Konoha and under our control, I must admit that the second punishment fits the bill for Arashi. He must be punished severely so no Hyuuga will dare to assault Uzumaki-san -or any _other_ member of the Shinobi Forces- ever again."

"You would make _my_ grandchildren non-Hyuuga!?" Gyoza roared angrily. The Elder's face was puce and heading towards a violent shade of vermillion.

"You would prefer him to be banished, with no chakra to protect himself?" Hiashi enquired, "Make no mistake Elder Gyoza, I am _not_ happy that we are being forced to punish one of our own here. I am _also_ not happy that one of our own was _stupid_ enough to be mixed up in this business even peripherally, let alone one of the two _in charge _of the entire debacle. I will urge you _all _to spread the word to your families that anyone from the Clan who is found guilty of being involved in similar events will be executed outright and their name struck from the Clan Register. Am I clear?"

Shock was written across the faces of every Council member, even the Branch Family Representatives. Being struck from the Clan Register meant that you were not allowed to be buried with your ancestors, prayed for or even spoken of. The person's name was usually banned from being used for _several generations _before anyone else was given it again such was the dishonour this entailed.

"Good." Hiashi said, having gotten his message across, "So, I believe we should vote now. All those in favour of Hyuuga Arashi being stripped of his rank in the Shinobi Forces, his chakra sealed and then banished from the village please raise your hand."

Not a single hand was raised, as expected.

"All those in favour of Hyuuga Arashi forfeiting his personal Ninja Tools, equipment and personal possessions, save those that contain Clan Secrets and Jutsu, to Uzumaki Naruko, be branded with the _**Hyuuga Sōke **__**Kechimyaku Hozen no Juinjutsu (Hyuuga Main Family's Bloodline Conservation Cursed Seal)**_, otherwise known as the Sleeping Bird Seal, and payment of all mission-earned pay for the next decade to Uzumaki Naruko, please raise your hands." Hiashi continued.

Every hand other than Hyuuga Gyoza's rose almost as one, with Gyoza glaring at Hiashi with an air of intractable stubbornness about him.

"The majority is in favour. The punishment of Hyuuga Arashi has been decided. I will communicate our decision to Hokage-sama tomorrow and arrange for the sealing of Hyuuga Arashi for the day after tomorrow." Hiashi said neutrally, "I believe that this is all the business we have at the moment. Does anyone have any new proposals to bring forward?"

"I do." Gyoza snarled, "I put forward the motion that Hinata-'sama' is unfit to continue as Heiress and that she be stripped of her title and branded with the Caged Bird Seal at once!"

Hiashi's face hardened. He had half expected Gyoza to try to pull this, but for him to actually do it was more than slightly stupid of the man.

"The motion has been put forward." Hiashi said quietly, "Hyuuga Gyoza, kindly state your reasoning for this proposal."

"Isn't it obvious? Her Elemental Affinity is not Earth, therefore her _**Juken**_ skills are pitiful, and therefore she doesn't deserve the title of Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan!" Gyoza expounded fanatically.

"Elder Oboro, please take over as Chair of the meeting so I may defend my daughter." Hiashi said in an ice-cold voice. With a gulp, Oboro nodded his assent.

"Elder Gyoza, your main point here is that Hinata's Elemental Affinities are hindering her use of our Clan Art. Am I correct?" Hiashi asked icily.

"Obviously." Gyoza said his voice brash.

"I take it you recall my wife, Hitomi, Elder Gyoza?" Hiashi asked.

"Yes, of course." Gyoza replied slowly, wary of the apparent tangent the Clan Leader was going down.

"Would you say that she was skilled in our Art?" Hiashi enquired.

Gyoza was confused as to exactly where Hiashi was going with this, but decided to humour him. "Yes, Hitomi was adequately skilled at _**Juken**_. I fail to see where you are going with this, _Hiashi_." he said with contempt.

"My wife was a Primary Water Affinity as well." Hiashi said quietly, causing Gyoza's eyes to widen in shock.

"I'll grant you that she couldn't use pure _**Juken**_." Hiashi continued, "But she altered and changed it into a Taijutsu Style that she could use with ease. She called this new style the _**Jūho (Gentle Step)**_. The technique that Hinata discovered was the _**Jūho **_version of the _**Hakke Sanjūni Shō**_ that Hitomi developed."

The council was stunned by this news. Hinata was awed that her mother had dared to go against Hyuuga tradition and altered their prized family art into something more suited for herself. She dimly recalled her mother practicing her taijutsu one day. She looked as if she was dancing across the floor, far more fluidly than her father or any other practitioner of the _**Juken**_ ever could hope to move.

Gyoza was shaken by this revelation. The _**Juken **_was a sacred art passed down through the Hyuuga Clan from generation to generation. The choice to make it an Earth-oriented style was made in the very beginning, by the eldest son of the Rikudō Sennin's eldest son. To have someone alter it into a lesser form was a great blasphemy that could _not_ be countenanced.

"Regardless of a person's elemental affinity, it is _forbidden_ to alter the _**Juken**_ in any shape or form." Gyoza said stiffly, "Had this fact been found while Hitomi was still alive, she would have been punished most severely."

"Where in the laws and traditions of our clan is that particular item mentioned?" Hiashi asked politely.

This question stunned the intractable old man for a moment. "It…It's _tradition_!" he shot back, "Traditions are not always written down!"

"So in other words it is _not_ illegal, _nor_ has it been entered into the official traditions of the Hyuuga Clan." Hiashi stated pointedly, "Meaning the entire thing is just the conservative nature of the Clan as a whole and this Council in particular."

Hiashi looked at the council with hooded eyes, "Over the last century, our art, while still strong, has become stagnant and ossified, while other taijutsu styles have evolved and grown stronger than ever before." he said flatly, "If the _**Juken**_ does not evolve along with them, we will eventually be overtaken and left behind like dust on the wind."

All of the council cringed at the thought of such a thing happening.

"Preposterous!" Gyoza scoffed, "Our Art revolves around our _**Byakugan**_. As long as we hold that card, our style is invincible!"

"Sheer arrogance. Has Arashi's defeat taught you _nothing_?" Hiashi sneered, "Maito Gai does not possess the _**Byakugan**_, yet he defeated your son without so much as a closed _tenketsu_ in return, in part because he is an Elite Jonin but also in part _because he knew the limitations of the __**Byakugan**_!"

Gyoza gaped at Hiashi in astonishment as the Clan Leader spoke. Just because of that? His son lost _just_ because the man knew a few of the limitations of the Hyuuga Clan's Kekkei Genkai?

"Thus far, the Hyuuga Clan has managed to keep the weaknesses of our Kekkei Genkai a secret through draconian and paranoiac measures." Hiashi continued, "Eventually though, whether it comes in ten years or a hundred, our enemies will discover at least a few of our weaknesses and seek to exploit them. If we do not make improvements to our Art, we will fall. It is as simple as that."

The bleak picture he painted was making the council blanch in horror, Hiashi noted wryly. The scenario he was outlining was a worst case one and would require a lot of bad luck to happen to the Hyuuga Clan in order to happen, but it _was_ possible. The easiest way to confuse people in politics is to tell the truth, even if it was only a half truth.

Gyoza was still doing a passable imitation of a landed fish, so Hiashi took advantage of his stupefaction. He nodded at Oboro, who took the hint.

"Both sides have given their arguments." Oboro said loudly, "We shall now vote on whether Hyuuga Hinata should be stripped of her title of Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan and be branded with the _**Hyuuga Sōke no Juinjutsu**_. All those in favour, raise your hands."

A small smattering of hands were raised, including a still dazed Gyoza, who seemed to be running on autopilot while he digested everything Hiashi had said.

"All those against?" Oboro enquired. Every single other hand was raised, eliciting a small smirk from Hiashi and a relieved sigh from Hinata. "The motion is denied. Hinata-sama remains the Heiress and will not be branded by the Caged Bird Seal. I return the Chair to Hiashi-sama."

"Thank you." Hiashi replied, "I have to train my daughter now, so I hereby dismiss the meeting. We will meet at the usual time next month, barring any more unexpected happenings."

As the council filed out of the room, Hinata allowed herself a small smile. She had dodged yet another attempt at being branded before her sixteenth birthday, which was the absolute limit for someone to be branded with the Caged Bird Seal. This made the third attempt in as many years.

More importantly, she had discovered that her mother had developed a taijutsu style based on the _**Juken**_ that was for those who had a Primary Water Affinity. Hinata _had_ to get her hands on it so she could prove herself. Not to her father and the Clan, but to Naruko, so she would never have to endure seeing her blond teammate almost die in front of her again.

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**Audience Chamber, Yamanaka Clan Meeting Hall**

To sum up how Ino was currently feeling required only a single word: BORED!

She had been listening to the squabbling of her fellow clansmen in place of her father, who had been called to a meeting with the Hokage. Adjusting the minimum and maximum amount for dowries, hearing complaints between various clansmen, filling out various dry pieces of paperwork….essentially what her father was supposed to be doing.

'_Daddy, there had _better_ be a good reason for you to have left me here to do your job for you!_' Ino thought darkly as she adjudicated in a dispute between two men over a family heirloom that had gone missing and they were each accusing the other of having stolen it.

Just then, her father strode into the room. Ino was about to call out to him, but the look on his face stopped her cold. The expression that covered Yamanaka Inoichi's face was full of anger, mixed with grief and sadness.

"I'm calling the Yamanaka Council together for an emergency meeting." Inoichi said loudly, drawing the attention of the entire room as he spoke, "I'm sorry, but I must ask that everyone wait until tomorrow to have their issues resolved as the issue I have to bring forward is complicated and rather urgent."

With that, he strode off to the private meeting room that doubled as the council chamber when it was necessary, swiftly followed by the rest of the council. Ino hurriedly bowed to the two men in front of her and followed them.

Inoichi, seated at the head of the table, frowned slightly when his daughter walked into the room but begrudgingly nodded in acquiescence to Ino's presence. She was the Heiress and had every right to attend a meeting such as this.

Besides, just letting her in without arguing about it would save him from receiving a scathing tongue-lashing from her for treating her like a kid now that she was a full ninja.

Once everyone took there seats, Inoichi cleared his throat and began. "I've just come from a meeting with Hokage-sama regarding Haruo's punishment." he said bluntly.

The council muttered amongst themselves at this, with Ino smiling viciously in triumph.

"What has Hokage-sama decided to be the punishment?" One Councilman asked carefully.

"As it has been determined, through extensive interrogation by myself and Morino Ibiki over the last week, that Haruo was the only member of the Yamanaka Clan to have knowledge of this matter, the Clan itself will not suffer any penalties." Inoichi replied, answering the unspoken part of his question, "Haruo however is not getting off as easily. He is guilty of using the _**Shintenshin no Jutsu (Mind-Body Switch Jutsu)**_ on fellow Konoha Shinobi for the purpose of attempting to kill Naruko twelve years ago, as well as Destruction of Private property, Masterminding a Conspiracy to Murder a Civilian and Attempted Murder of a Fellow Konoha Shinobi."

The council winced at the charges, while Ino scowled angrily. Haruo had been trying to kill Naruko for _twelve years_?! Just because he thought she was the Kyuubi reincarnated? Ino ground her teeth and forced herself to listen to what her father was saying.

"Because he was the one who ultimately commanded and controlled the entire group, Hokage-sama is disinclined to be merciful in his case and he is being sentence to life imprisonment in Hōzuki-jō (Demon Lantern Castle)." Inoichi said gravely.

"The Blood Prison?!" another Councilmember gasped in horror.

The prison in Kusagakure (Village Hidden in the Grass) was well known for it's ability to contain it's ninja inmates because of the use of the ultimate imprisonment jutsu, _**Katon: Tenrō (Fire Style: Celestial Prison)**_, but it was also the most brutal prison in existence. Very few survived longer than five years before trying to use chakra to escape and being burned from the inside out by their own chakra or having the warden, Mui, burn them for a punishable offence…like breathing too hard.

"Hokage-sama is, quite understandably, _adamant_ that a message be sent to everyone that acting as Haruo has will not be mitigated by Clan Status or how close one is to the head of their Clan." Inoichi told them firmly.

"Is that _it_? He just gets sent to prison?" Ino asked disgustedly.

"As a matter of fact, no." Inoichi replied, "All of Haruo's Ninja Tools are automatically being given to Naruko as per the Spoils of War Act, as well as his entire library of jutsu scrolls, aside from the one to do with Yamanaka techniques which are being given to you, Princess."

Ino squealed in joy. Haruo, being a Jonin, had quite a few scrolls of advanced techniques she could learn.

Inoichi smiled slightly at his daughter before continuing, "Finally, all of Haruo's money is to be divided between Ino, Hinata and Naruko. That is the entire punishment for Haruo."

"It seems somewhat…harsh for Haruo, considering the de-, I mean, _Uzumaki-san _was not harmed." an elderly councilman remarked carelessly, "Should we not move for leniency?"

Ino slammed her hand down and glared at the man. "Are you even _listening_ to yourself?! He blew up Naruko's _entire building _to try to kill her!" she shouted at the man, "He used his fellow shinobi as _tools _to try and kill a _baby_! He used a Katon Jutsu that would have killed _me_ if Naruko-chan hadn't forcibly moved me out of the way just before he used it!"

Pausing for breath, Ino saw that the man was gaping at her in astonishment, as were a few of his peers who were of similar age to him.

"On the _purely_ political side, leaving the moral side be completely, the Yamanaka Clan _cannot_ be seen to apparently shield a criminal like Haruo, especially since the target of Haruo's actions is a girl the Sandaime Hokage regards as his _surrogate granddaughter_!" Ino continued more calmly, "Besides, if we try and shield him and _fail_, it creates a precedent for the sitting Hokage to interfere in Clan business, which I doubt anyone here likes the idea of."

Indeed the council seemed outraged at the very thought. Inoichi hid a smile at Ino's deft manipulation of the council. By turning it into a matter of politics, they had no choice _but_ to comply with the orders of the Hokage on this matter, unless they wanted to open a can of worms the Clans of Konoha had spent the last hundred or so years _keeping_ unopened: direct interference in Clan matters by the Village ruler.

"I think my Heir has put it fairly succinctly." Inoichi said, pride evident in his voice, making Ino blush slightly. "I feel that if Hokage-sama sees the Yamanaka Clan endorsing this punishment of one of its members, especially one so close to the Clan head in relation, he will be far less likely to keep an eye on our clansmen and women via subtle ANBU monitoring for instances of other conspiracies, not that any exist."

Nods of agreement emerged from the council with unsurprising alacrity. The last Clan to be monitored by the ANBU had been the Uchiha just prior to their destruction at the hands of their best ninja. The last thing any Clan needed was that kind of stigma hanging over them.

"So then, I'll have a form endorsing this punishment of Yamanaka Haruo written up for this council to sign and seal." Inoichi said firmly. His face was neutral, but he was dancing inside. In one stroke, the council was endorsing the punishment of one of their own and Ino had proven herself as a competent and canny politician.

Life was good.

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**Unknown Location, Konoha**

In the dimly lit office, a single man was busy wrestling through paperwork. The man had shaggy black hair, a cross-shaped scar on his chin and had one eye covered in bandages. One of his arms was in a sling and he wore a formal black kimono and white under-kimono.

His name was Shimura Danzō.

'_That old _fool_ Hiruzen._' he thought bitterly, '_If he gave the Jinchuruki to me, Konoha's future would be a bright one where it would _truly_ be the strongest of the Hidden Villages in fact as well as name._'

He grunted with exasperation at his old teammate. If only he had spoken up when Tobirama-sensei had asked for a volunteer to hold the Kinkaku Butai (Golden-Horn Force) at bay while the rest had fled, _he_ would have been appointed as the Sandaime Hokage instead of Hiruzen.

He mentally cursed his own fear of death that had paralyzed him. After that, Danzō had determined that shinobi had no need of emotions and had created the division of ANBU known as Ne (Root/Foundation) which was made up of specially trained shinobi who had had their emotions crushed and ground into non-existence by a gruelling training regime.

He gradually became known as the 'Yami no Shinobi' (Dark Shinobi) because of his willingness to do anything to accomplish his own goals. Danzō did not really care. He loved Konoha with all of his being, so a few sacrifices here and there and the sullying of his own good name was a small price to pay to ensure Konoha's prosperity as far as he was concerned.

After all, you can't make Tamagoyaki (Japanese Omelette) without breaking a few eggs, right?

He was drawn from his thoughts by the almost silent appearance of one of his Ne Agents.

"Report." he commanded, not even looking up from his paperwork at the kneeling figure.

"The three who assaulted the Jinchuruki are being punished severely for their actions." The Agent reported in a monotone, "The ringleader is to be sent to the Blood Prison, the Hyuuga is basically going to work gratis for the next ten years and the Inuzuka…is being 'retrained'."

Danzō shuddered slightly and felt an almost unperceivable flicker of pity for the Inuzuka shinobi. 'Retraining' was the worst punishment in the Inuzuka Clan barring banishment and involved Clan-wide humiliation and submission of the re-trainee to almost everyone in the Clan. Worst of all, you had to earn the right to act as a human back, judged by the Clan Head personally.

And Inuzuka Tsume was a brass-clad bitch to please at the _best_ of times. When she's as pissed at someone as Danzō knew she would be at one Inuzuka Shippo, his life would be intolerable for at _least_ six months.

If she was feeling forgiving.

"Is there any sign that they suspect a…outside influence to Yamanaka Haruo's actions?" Danzō asked.

"None. Neither Morino Ibiki nor Yamanaka Inoichi have made reference to anything either in writing or verbally." The Agent replied, making the old warhawk relax ever so slightly in his chair. His use of _**Kotoamatsukami **_on the Yamanaka had gone unnoticed, it would seem.

"And the Jinchuruki?"

"Currently undergoing remedial seduction training at her new Clan Compound with Tokujo Mitarashi." was the unexpected reply.

Danzō frowned. This was an unexpected wrinkle. "Was an actual mission issued or did the Mitarashi woman seduce the Jinchuruki?"

"A mission was issued midday the day before yesterday by the Third Hokage himself." replied the Agent.

"Why was I not informed?" Danzō demanded irritably. This was _not_ what he had planned to happen when he had set out to isolate the girl!

"You were embedded in a meeting with Mitokado Homura and Utatane Koharu on the day itself." the Agent said tonelessly, "Yesterday, you were inspecting one of Ne's backup bases. This morning, you instructed Torune and Fū not to let anyone disturb you. I have only just been able to get in to speak with you."

Despite the agent's emotion-suppressing training, Danzō definitely detected some mild irritation in his voice. Evidently the leader of Ne's recently busy schedule had been playing havoc with this particular agent's ability to report to him.

"I see." Danzō said, "In future, should I be unavailable to report to in person and the report is urgent, leave a message with the on duty agent to inform me ASAP."

"Hai, Danzō-sama." The Agent replied.

"Has there been any luck in subverting the boundary seals on the old Toji Clan estate?" Danzō continued.

"Regrettably no. The Toji Clan was small when it was inducted into Konoha ninety years ago and, from what I can glean of the original agent's notes from fifty years ago, he deemed them a Clan with little power or influence and thus assigned them a low priority on the seal boundary subversion, which means it had not even been begun until the Jinchuruki moved in." the Agent replied, "Unfortunately, progress has been even slower than expected, due to the Jinchuruki having random patrols around the perimeter with her Shadow Clones. The agents assigned the task of subverting the boundary seals have been…less than enthusiastic about their chances of successfully subverting the seals in any less than six months at current."

Danzō suppressed a growl at this. "Have them expedite. I want to be able to infiltrate Ne Agents into the main manor in three months. Am I understood?"

"Hai Danzō-sama." The Agent replied tonelessly.

"Good. Leave me now." Danzō said dismissively. The Agent vanished in a puff of smoke, leaving the crippled man to his pondering.

'_Orochimaru plans to attack Konoha in about four months' time._' Danzō considered his plan seriously, '_Thus far, Hiruzen has shown no signs that he is aware that Otogakure is in fact under the control of his ex-student. If I can have the seals subverted fully by then, I can have my Agents infiltrate the manor and steal the Uzushiogakure Archives under the cover of the invasion, which will fail. Hiruzen is many things but he is not weak, nor has Konoha's strength deteriorated so much that even Suna and Oto working together can defeat the full might of it's military might. _

_Ultimately, it matters not who wins in the short term, because in the long term, the true victor…shall be me._'

A sinister smile appeared on the old warhawk's face as he continued to scheme and plan in the flickering light of his office.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Some Time later**

**Konoha Streets**

Ino was walking down the street towards her favourite clothes shop. She had been given the rest of the day off by her father as a reward for both her hard work during the morning and her exemplary performance during the council meeting.

The blond-haired kunoichi hummed to herself as she window shopped at some of the clothes shops that she frequented. Ino loved shopping, especially clothes shopping. She had dozens of dresses, shoes, skirts, blouses and the like. Not to mention some very racy underwear that would give any boy (and a few girls) a nosebleed to see her wearing them.

Distracted by thoughts of seducing her Sasuke-kun, she bumped into a familiar red-clad figure.

"Forehead?" Ino asked once she recovered from her surprise, "What's up? You look awful."

It was true. Sakura's face was drawn and tired, with small hints of bags beneath her eyes. Her red battle dress was slightly unkempt, with wrinkles and tears in it.

"I-Ino-pig?" Sakura asked faintly as she peered at her friend/rival blearily. Ino was becoming worried here. Sakura's voice was slightly slurred with tiredness, which was unlike her old friend. Sakura loved to lie in and sleep, so her being so tired made no sense.

"Sakura, what's up?" Ino demanded as she led a stumbling Sakura to a nearby café and plopped the pinkette in a chair before slipping into one opposite her.

"N-Nothing." Sakura lied unconvincingly. Ino just looked at her with a hard look in her eyes, making the pinkette wilt slightly.

"Spill. Now." Ino ordered.

"I…Oh Ino!" Sakura let out a dry sob, "Sasuke-kun and Kiba have been making me do all of the housework! All of it! They don't do a thing around the house and blame me if anything falls behind!"

Ino gaped at her friend in shock. "But…Kiba I would understand, but _Sasuke-kun_?" she said in disbelief.

"Well…he doesn't sneer at me like Kiba does, but he doesn't do anything either." Sakura replied as she slumped slightly in her seat.

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why you look like you got stampeded by a herd of sheep." Ino probed.

"Kiba keeps trying to sneak into my room every night." Sakura said softly, "He just won't get it through his head that I'm not an Inuzuka and thus not impressed by the fact that he's an 'Alpha' in his pack. Thankfully, I have a strong locking seal on my door that Kiba can't break through. Akamaru won't help him, so unless he seriously ups his strength, he wont be getting in. I'm too scared to sleep though."

"Forehead, tell your Jonin-sensei!" Ino told her friend worriedly, "What Kiba is doing is blatant sexual harassment! You can't let him get away with it!"

"Ha!" Sakura snorted, "Kakashi-sensei blatantly told us when we moved in that it was up to us to sort out our problems ourselves and not to run to him for every little squabble we had."

"I think this counts as something slightly more than 'a little squabble', Sakura." Ino replied dryly, "This is Kiba deliberately trying to force entry into your room to do who knows what to you. Naruko-chan has been worried about you, y'know."

Sakura looked taken aback. "She has? Since when?"

"Since you were made ASL." Ino replied as she looked her friend up and down with a slight frown, "What else have you been doing? There's no way that's everything that's been happening."

"I've not been getting much in the way of training recently." Sakura admitted, "So I've been doing a bit of training by myself at Training Field 7. Unfortunately, I fell down quite a bit and, well, you see what happened. Guess my lack of sleep caught up with me."

Ino sat and looked at her friend for a moment before making a decision.

"Right, lets get you to my house. You look dead on your feet and I think a nice relaxing bath followed by some shuteye will do you the world of good." She announced to her startled companion with a cheerful smile as she stood and dragged Sakura off to her house.

'_And _then_ I'm gonna tell daddy about what Kiba-baka has been trying to do to you._' Ino thought with a vicious grin.

No-one messed with Yamanaka Ino's friends. NO-ONE!

Elsewhere, Kiba shuddered as he felt evil intent being directed towards him.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Kiba In the Doghouse**

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	10. Kiba in the Doghouse

**Author's Note: I have been giving a lot of thought to what weapons go into the En'ō Kago-te, taking into account all of the opinions of the reviews and I have made my decisions. Twelve weapons all in all and these are my choices.**

**Bō**

**Katana**

**Fūma Shuriken**

**Tiger Claws (Replacing the Twin Kodachi)**

**Yari**

**Nagamaki**

**Tessen**

**Ogama (Big Scythe, replacing Kama)**

**Kusarigama**

**Zanbatō**

**Ninjatō**

**Tantō**

**I thank everyone for his or her input who put it forwards.**

**Moving on, I am busy planning Team 8's first C-Rank mission. It is going to be…interesting…to say the least.**

**That is enough from me, now on with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto ain't mine.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 10: Kiba in the Doghouse**

**Two Hours Later**

**Inuzuka Tsume's Living Room, Inuzuka Compound, Clan Residential District Outskirts**

If a word could be used to describe Inuzuka Tsume at this particular moment, 'furious' would be an understatement. 'Incandescent' or perhaps 'Volcanic' would be _far_ more appropriate.

That good-for-nothing _idiot_ Shippo had brought disgrace on the entire Inuzuka Clan by joining with Yamanaka Haruo and Hyuuga Arashi to try and kill Uzumaki Naruko.

Not only had he been stupid enough to do _that_, he had also agreed privately with Haruo to kill the other two Heiresses as well, as he was even more dismissive of Kunoichi than Kiba was, if it was at all possible.

Tsume growled angrily. The dumb idiot was so stupid that he hadn't thought of what would happen _after_ he killed them. The Hyuuga, Yamanaka and the Hokage would have torn him to pieces, along with any member of the Inuzuka Clan who got in the way.

_How_ Shippo had even managed to get promoted to a Combat Chunin was beyond Tsume. He made _Kiba_ look like a paragon of tolerance and foresight!

"Still angry about Shippo?" asked her ninken partner Kuromaru, who was lying down next to her.

"Obviously." Tsume snorted, "I'm just struck dumb by how _stupidly_ he went about it. Leaving all the moral right/wrong debates of trying to kill an _allied Clan's _Heir to one side, he got played like a fiddle by Yamanaka Haruo and Hyuuga Arashi and danced to their tune with barely even any suspicion at _all_ on his part!"

"Humph." Kuromaru snorted as he stretched, "Kiiromaru was telling me last week that Shippo was going to do something stupid. Wouldn't tell me what, just that he wouldn't help Shippo do whatever it is that he was gonna do."

"Shippo's ninken?" Tsume asked with a frown, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You were at the council meeting on the day, and Shippo disappeared the day after." Kuromaru replied simply.

Tsume was about to answer, when one of the compound's Front Gate guards shouted out, "Tsume-sama! Yamanaka Inoichi-sama wishes to have a meeting with you!"

This took Tsume slightly aback. Inoichi was an old drinking buddy of hers and came by for a visit every so often. He usually just walked in after saying hello to the guards. The fact that he was _asking_ to be let in and have a meeting meant he had something serious to discuss with her.

"…Shit." she muttered, "_Now _what? LET HIM IN!" she roared to the guards.

Tsume took a seat on a comfortable armchair and waited for Inoichi to come in. She didn't have to wait long.

Inoichi swept into the room she was in, his face set like it was carved from stone. Tsume wondered what the hell this could be about.

"Inoichi." she greeted the Yamanaka Clan Head warily.

"Tsume. Kuromaru." he replied tersely.

"Have a seat and tell me why the hell you look like you want to rip someone to pieces." The Inuzuka Matriarch said waving at a nearby chair.

"Bring Hana here. She needs to know this as well." the blond man said flatly.

Tsume looked surprised, but sent Kuromaru to get Hana, who arrived a couple of minutes later with the Haimaru Brothers, three ash-grey littermates, at her heels.

"Mother? Kuromaru said you wanted to see me?" Hana asked as she finished putting her long brown hair into its usual ponytail. Today had been her day off, so she had been reading some advanced Iryō Ninjutsu scrolls and occasionally romping and playing with her ninken companions.

"Inoichi apparently has something he wants to discuss with us." Tsume replied as both Hana and Inoichi took a seat. Formal Clans like the Hyuuga sneered at the informal nature of the Inuzuka Clan. They eschewed rites, pomp and uselessly fancy meeting rooms, instead preferring to have relaxed meeting in informal settings like this.

The pack nature of their ninken companions influenced this choice, but the main reason was simply that the Inuzuka were a very informal clan who didn't give a rat's arse about formality.

"Now we're all here, can you please tell me what's gotten you in such a bad mood?" Tsume probed impatiently.

Inoichi sighed heavily before beginning. "A couple of hours ago, Ino brought Haruno Sakura to my house, bathed her and put her to bed in her old room. The poor girl went out like a light. Ino then proceeded to tell me why."

His face darkened even more as he spoke his next words. "Apparently, she has been forced to perform every single household chore in her team's house for the last week by her teammates. She has also been too frightened to do more than nap lightly during the nights, because _your son_," Inoichi emphasised, "tries to break into her room every single night to 'establish his dominance as an Alpha' over her."

Tsume and Hana stare dumbly at Inoichi, utterly stunned by what he said.

"K-Kiba…no, I don't believe even _he_ could be stupid enough to do that." Tsume said at last.

"I scanned Sakura's memories." Inoichi replied softly, "She spoke the absolute truth. In fact, she neglected to tell Ino that Kiba has been constantly referring to her as a 'breeder bitch' when not around their Jonin-sensei. Among other things."

Hana growled at the blatant disrespect such a title implied to Sakura, swiftly joined by Tsume

"I can't believe that two members of my clan are embarrassing me twice in two weeks!" Tsume ground out.

"I…personally think there is something amiss with Kiba." Inoichi said carefully, prompting the two Inuzuka's to look at him.

"You mean _aside_ from the fact he treats kunoichi like trash?" the Inuzuka Matriarch asked sarcastically.

"No, the way in which he expresses it." Inoichi replied, "A boy who has a strong kunoichi for a mother should know better than to mouth off about his contempt for them, especially in front of the Hokage! Even more so when his older sister is also a strong kunoichi."

Hana's eyes were narrowed. "You suspect someone's been messing with his head?" she asked sharply.

"Haruo is a very skilled jonin, who has mastered several advanced Yamanaka Clan Jutsu." Inoichi said carefully, "In addition, he has had access to the Yamanaka Shadow Archives, where we keep our kinjutsu. To clarify, by 'Kinjutsu', I don't mean just any jutsu with a slight risk, such as the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_. _These_ jutsu have been forbidden to be used by our Clan due to the immoral and potentially fatal nature of the Jutsu in question."

"How many Kinjutsu in the Yamanaka Clan repertoire could accomplish this?" Tsume asked.

"Right off the top of my head, about half a dozen." Inoichi replied, "It would make sense if Shippo is as misogynistic as you say he is. He resents the fact that a woman is the Alpha of his Clan and makes a deal with Haruo to use a jutsu of some sort on Kiba that makes him equally as misogynistic as Shippo himself as petty revenge for that fact."

"When does Haruo get shipped to Hōzuki-jō?" Tsume asked, "I want to find out what the hell he did to my pup."

"Tomorrow, supposedly." Inoichi replied, "However, I think that this little deduction requires an in-depth probe into Haruo's mind, so Hokage-sama ought to listen to the both of us if we lay this in front of him. Is Shippo secure?"

"He's in the kennels." Tsume replied, "I'll post a couple of guards to make sure he stays there."

"Good. Let's go." Inoichi said as he led the way out of the compound.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Warning! Lime Scene Bellow!**

**Timeskip - The Next Day, 06:00 am**

**Naruko's Room, New Uzumaki Clan Compound, Clan Residential District**

Mitarashi Anko had taken many lovers since attaining her hitai-ate, both male and female, but this was one of the very few times that she had woken up next to one.

She propped herself up on an elbow, heedless of her nudity, and gazed upon her newest lover with speculation in her eyes. Naruko was still exhausted from her amatory adventures yesterday and last night, so was in a deep sleep.

After their initial 'training session', the two had slept for a couple of hours before recommencing with undisguised enthusiasm. During that time, Anko had been impressed with both Naruko's ability to learn and her stamina.

Seriously, the girl could out screw a _dozen _other genin.

At the same time.

Something else that Anko had discovered was that Naruko, while being a switch, preferred to be in control of sex when at all possible. Not really a big surprise, given that she had not had much say over what happened in her life up until this point.

Deciding that her paramour had slept enough for the moment, Anko began prodding and poking Naruko, who grumbled and flinched away from the prodding.

Grinning wickedly, Anko prodded the girl in her most precious place.

"_Ahn!_" Naruko shot awake with a moan. The Uzumaki Heiress twisted her head to look at Anko out of the corner of her eye.

"Anko-sensei, did you _have_ to wake me up like that?" the girl complained as Anko withdrew the finger and sucked on it seductively.

"Why, not up for another round, Naru-chan?" Anko teased her lover with a slow smile.

Naruko's face lit up like a tomato. "G-Geez! Are you insatiable or something Anko-sensei?"

"Meh, it's not often I have a nubile little thing like you, with stamina that surpasses mine _and_ is an eager pupil to boot." Anko replied as she reached forward and kissed Naruko's neck, making the blond mew in pleasure.

"Wh-What about jutsu training? You said we'd do some today!" Naruko panted out while Anko's skilled hands wandered over her body.

Anko considered this. She had said that she would teach her a couple of jutsu today, both regular jutsu and Injutsu, but she still wanted to play some more before Kurenai and Naruko's teammates returned.

"Okay then, Naru-chan." Anko agreed reluctantly, "Breakfast, Jutsu training, Injutsu training, then back to bed for some fun. Sound like a plan?"

"Yeeeeessss!" Naruko moaned out as Anko's hands, apparently on autopilot, had been massaging her breasts to the point that she came.

"Ah, that never gets old." Anko grinned at the panting girl. As it turned out, Naruko's breasts were very sensitive and Anko had made the girl beg for more after a thirty-minute massaging fest.

"Sadist!" Naruko gasped out.

"And proud of it!" Anko replied with a grin as she got out of bed and sashayed over to the shower, "Join me?" Anko invited.

A blushing Naruko joined her in a flash.

**Lime Scene over!**

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Timeskip - Three Hours Later**

**Interrogation Room 3, ANBU T&amp;I Division Headquarters, Secret Location**

Yamanaka Haruo had clearly seen better days. He was strapped to a cross, naked from the waist up and his body was covered in scars, the result of bare minimum healing after his interrogation session with Mitarashi Anko.

The room was bare of all other furniture and was a stark white colour that was slightly painful to look at even in the dim lighting that was available in the room.

Haruo looked up as the door to the room opened with an ominous creak, one Haruo was convinced was deliberately induced to add to the mystique of the room and make the occupants fears grow. Not that realising what the trick was enabled Haruo to be unaffected by it.

Through the door stepped Morino Ibiki, Head of ANBU T&amp;I and one of the most feared men in all of Konoha, swiftly followed by Yamanaka Inoichi, joint-second in command of ANBU T&amp;I with Mitarashi Anko and his Clan head.

Haruo squashed whatever fear managed to squirm its way to the surface and awaited whatever it was that brought the men to visit him.

"Haruo, formally of the Yamanaka Clan," Ibiki said slowly, in his deep gravely voice, "It has been brought to the attention of Inoichi and myself that you may have used a Kinjutsu on the mind of Inuzuka Kiba, Clan Heir of the Inuzuka Clan. I will give you _one_ chance to voluntarily surrender the information. Should you refuse…"

The cruel, sadistic smile that blossomed across the man's face made the alternative quite clear to Haruo, who let out a dry laugh.

"I'm being sent to the kami-forsaken _Blood Prison_ soon." he rasped out, "Why would I willingly let you add more time to my sentence?"

Ibiki's sinister smile grew wider, if that was at all possible. "I was hoping that you'd say something like that." the Head of T&amp;I said, somewhat happily, "I'll have you spilling your guts in ten minutes, tops. Best part for you? All the damage will be mental, not physical. No need to clean up any pesky bloodstains or have to worry about you bleeding out.

Anko and I argue about this all the time, physical pain versus mental torment, and this will be interesting to note that it took Anko just under twelve minutes to fully break you. She'll owe me a drink if I can get you to break faster than that."

Haruo began to sweat as Ibiki walked closer to him. "So then…" Ibiki said, "Shall we begin?"

**Nine Minutes, Twenty-Seven Second Later…**

"Alright! I'm tell you! Just stop already!" Haruo howled as he thrashed around wildly on the cross, desperately trying to free himself.

Ibiki gave a small smile of satisfaction as he turned off the speakers that were booming out a high-pitched wailing noise. One that was enhanced by the genjutsu he had placed on Haruo. _**Genjutsu: Oto **__**Zōfuku no Jutsu (Illusion: Sound Amplification Jutsu)**_ made the target's hearing as sensitive as an Inuzuka's. Haruo, being a jonin, already had sharp senses, so adding the genjutsu on top of that made it unbearable. This was _after_ Ibiki told him what would happen to him after he passed the ten-minute limit.

"Now spill. What Kinjutsu did you use on Inuzuka Kiba?" Ibiki demanded softly.

"_**Y-Yamanaka Kinjutsu: **__**Saihen o Ki no Jutsu (Yamanaka Forbidden Jutsu: Mind Restructuring Jutsu)**_." Haruo gasped out, "As well as repeated uses of _**Yamanaka Ninpo: Ikari Sōsa no Jutsu (Yamanaka Ninja Art: Anger Manipulation Jutsu)**_ and _**Yamanaka Ninpo: Uma Mekakushi no Jutsu (Yamanaka Ninja Art: Horse Blinders Jutsu)**_."

Inoichi cursed. That was one of the worst Kinjutsu in the Shadow Archive, allowing the user to alter all but the deepest held convictions of the target as they pleased. A boy such as Kiba didn't _have_ that many strong convictions, so Haruo had pretty much had free rein to do as he pleased in his mind.

The other two jutsu were commonly used in manipulating targets into becoming angry at specific things or people and straight lined their thinking respectively, so they were easily reversed. The Kinjutsu though, would be harder.

"When did you do this to him?" Inoichi ground out.

"Six years ago. It was Shippo's price for joining up with us." Haruo told his former Clan Head wearily.

"Precisely what did you do to him? Give me every detail." Inoichi ordered harshly.

"I made him aggressive and contempt of kunoichi and tried to focus that on the Demon Bitch." Haruo replied, "He is also much easier to manipulate and less trusting of those around him. I also implanted the desire to dominate woman in his mind, so any member of his Clan that he marries will be broken to his will."

Inoichi regarded his former clansman with contempt. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" he said disgustedly, "OK then. Did you place any mental traps or suicide jutsu in Kiba's mind?"

"Several standard mental traps, but no suicide jutsu." Haruo said resignedly.

"He's lying." Ibiki said casually, making Haruo glare half-heartedly at him.

"The truth. Now." Inoichi's face was implacable.

Haruo sagged in his bonds. "A _**Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin (Neural Aneurism Death Seal)**_ is set to activate if the two lesser jutsu are released before the greater one is countered." he said bitterly, "In addition, if there is any delay greater than five minutes between releasing the first jutsu and releasing the second, the Fūjin will activate."

Inoichi shook his head in amazement. Death Seals were an immensely difficult thing to construct in a persons mind, far more so than if it was being written on a person's body with chakra-infused ink. That Haruo actually had the skill to create one was amazing…and a pity.

"You are a fool, Haruo." Inoichi told him, "You could have used your skills for the betterment of Konoha. Instead, you're forcing Konoha to squander it by sending you to Hōzuki-jō, because of a ridiculous and pointless vendetta. Such a waste."

With that, Inoichi swept out of the room, leaving Haruo feeling more insignificant than he had felt in years.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Timeskip - 1 Hour Later**

**Grounds, New Uzumaki Clan Compound, Clan Residential District**

"_**Katon: Endan!**_" a hundred voices said at one. The line of Naruko-clones unleashed a fireball at their targets, a hundred clones _**henge'd**_ into Mizuki.

Anko and the original Naruko, standing to one side and observing her clones work, grinned as about half of the Mizuki's disappeared. Unfortunately, that also meant that about half of the Naruko-clones disappeared as well, due to incorrectly using the Jutsu somehow.

"Alright, dispel in small groups!" Naruko ordered her clone army. As they dispelled, she turned and grinned up at Anko.

"Now _this_ is how to train!" she beamed up at her sensei.

"Yep" Anko agreed, "No risk of being hit by the backlash of your own jutsu, just the memories of it. AND by using the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ like this, you're gradually getting better at commanding your clones. Gotta ask though: why'd you want to learn a Katon jutsu? It's not one of your elements."

Naruko shrugged. "Ji-chan's proof that with enough hard work, a person can master elements that they weren't born with. Besides, I have so much chakra that I don't have to worry about using it all up too fast like most genin or chunin has to worry about. Plus, having a couple of wildcard jutsu is perfect for keeping any enemies off guard about my skills."

Anko regarded her student with an appraising look in her eyes. "Surprisingly well thought out there, brat." she noted.

"It occurred to me after Haruo-teme almost barbecued me." Naruko replied as the last of her clones dispersed themselves, "I'm planning on learning a Doton jutsu as well. Maybe a Raiton as well."

"First things first, try to use _**Endan**_ without blowing yourself up." Anko directed her.

"Hai, sensei." replied Naruko as she created another shadow clone that ran opposite her and henge'd into Mizuki.

Anko sweatdropped somewhat. '_Gaki really has a grudge against the silver haired bastard._' she noted with a mental shrug. She couldn't really complain, what with her vendetta against her traitorous bastard of a sensei.

Naruko ran through the six handsigns for the jutsu and said, "_**Katon: Endan**_!"

A fireball erupted from her mouth and smashed into the Mizuki-clone, dispelling it.

"Nicely done brat." Anko grinned, "Now do it nine more times and we'll say you've completed it satisfactorily…for now."

Grumbling, Naruko made nine more shadow clones, which transformed into Mizuki, and proceeded to hit each of them with a full-powered _**Endan**_ each.

"Not bad, brat." Anko said appreciatively, "It ain't perfect, but that'll come with time. Congrats, you pass."

Naruko grinned. "What's next?"

"Hmm…how about a Doton?" Asked Anko. She made the tiger handsign.

"_**Doton: **__**Doryū Taiga no Jutsu (Earth Style: Earth Flow River Jutsu)**_" she commanded. Immediately, the ground beneath Naruko turned to mud and erupted into a muddy river, pushing the younger kunoichi away with a surprised yelp.

After Anko ended the technique and Naruko made her way back to her, giving her sensei the stink-eye as she did, the Snake Mistress gave her a rundown of the technique.

"_**Doryū Taiga **_may be a fairly weak offensive jutsu, but it is a useful one." she told her pupil, "Not only does it leave the target off balance and move them away form you, the mud can also be used as a base for other Doton ninjutsu. And it only requires a single handsign to use."

"Umm…can you fix my lawn?" Naruko pointed at the mess left by Anko's _**Doryū Taiga**_.

"Sure. _**Doton: **__**Kansō-chi no Jutsu (Earth Style: Dry Earth Jutsu)**_." Anko said and stamped on the ground. The long track of mud melted back into the ground beneath it and hardened back to its original density.

"You didn't use any handsigns for that jutsu!" Naruko exclaimed.

"For simple jutsu that require only a single handsign, it's relatively easy to master it to the point of not _needing_ a handsign" Anko shrugged indolently.

"Huh." Naruko nodded, mentally comparing it to her mastering _**Suiton:**_ _**Teppōdama**_ to the same point, "Fair point, but we're going to a training ground to learn Doton jutsu. I don't want to have to fix my own compound's grounds every day."

"Hmm. Good point, brat. There's a training ground that is mostly bare earth, Training Ground 34." Anko said with a thoughtful frown, "Nobody really uses it nowadays, so it'll be perfect to learn this jutsu in."

"Let's go then-dattebayo!" Naruko yelled enthusiastically as she legged it towards the gate. Anko followed her, grinning at the blond's antics.

'_It's like having a mini-me!_' she thought fondly.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Two Hours Later**

**Yamanaka Clan Mind Delving Room, Yamanaka Clan Compound, Clan Residential District**

"He did WHAT to my pup?" Tsume snarled, seething at what Inoichi told her Haruo did to her son.

"I know, I know, _I'm_ not happy _either_." Inoichi replied, holding his hands up defensively, "I can and will undo what has been done to him. Unfortunately, there _will_ be lingering effects."

"Such as?" Tsume demanded, worry tingeing her voice.

"He'll still be the same afterwards, so you'll need to train him to _not_ be misogynistic jerk. I will remove the more…distasteful…urges from him and make him open to change, but essentially, you'll have to knock him into shape." Inoichi clarified.

"I was planning on doing that anyway." Tsume snorted, "Why's Kiba strapped to the table?"

Indeed, Kiba was secured rather firmly to the table in the centre of the room. His ankles and wrists were bound by thick leather cuffs and a strap across his forehead kept his head facing upwards rather than lolling to one side, for the Inuzuka Heir had been sedated before being brought in.

"A fair few of the mental traps that the Yamanaka Clan use involve controlling the body to attack someone." Inoichi explained, "Sort of like an in-built _**Shintenshin no Jutsu**_. Those straps are inscribed with powerful reinforcement seals made by the Yondaime Hokage himself, so Kiba stands no chance of breaking free. Rather, he's going to damage himself trying to break free if one of those traps is sprung, which is why I asked for Hana to be here, as she is a qualified Med-nin."

Hana had been glaring at the wall ever since Inoichi's explanation of what Haruo had done to Kiba. Now she looked up, her face dark with anger. "Shippo dies for orchestrating this." she said flatly.

"Hana-" Tsume starts to say, before she's cut off by her daughter.

"HE DIES!" Hana snarled.

"The Hokage is _very_ firm that no-one dies here." Inoichi remarked, "Perhaps sending him to the Blood Prison would be a good idea?"

The two Inuzuka women considered it for a moment before saying, in unison, "Arrange it."

"I'll tell Hokage-sama of the change in punishment after I deal with Kiba." Inoichi assured the two women.

"Well, get it over with already!" Hana snapped, "I want to start kicking my otouto (little brother) back into shape!"

Inoichi chuckled. "Just wait until the support machines come online."

"Huh?" Hana said as she looked around the room. It was of medium size, and had a conical ceiling. Just as she was gazing at Kiba for a moment, a device rose smoothly out of the floor and settled over the young ninja's body, leaving only his head exposed.

"What the hell is that thing?" The vet asked Inoichi.

"The support machines." Inoichi replied, "They enhance the abilities of someone using mind delving techniques and allow other people to channel chakra in to maintain the jutsu while I use my own chakra to fix Kiba's mind up."

"Oh." Hana looked at the contraption for a moment, "It looks like a sarcophagus."

"Eh, unfortunate similarity." Inoichi shrugged as he walked over and stood over Kiba's exposed head and ran through a long sequence of hand signs before placing his hand on the brown-haired head before him.

"Let's get this show on the road!" he declared, "_**Yamanaka Ichizoku Ninpo: **__**Dokushinjutsu! (Yamanaka Clan Ninja Art: Mind Reading Jutsu!)**_"

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Kiba's Mindscape**

Inoichi looked around. Rather unsurprisingly, Kiba's mindscape was the Inuzuka Clan Compound, empty of both people and dogs, which was slightly eerie.

'_Alright. Have to find the_ _**Saihen o Ki no Jutsu **__nexus first._' Inoichi thought and took a step forward. Immediately, the mindscape became filled with mist.

"_**Ninpo: **__**Kumori Nentō no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Cloudy Mind Jutsu)**_?" Inoichi asked, baffled. That was the very first mind trap jutsu taught to chunin level Yamanaka Clansmen. Nobody used it as an _actual_ mental defence anymore.

Shrugging, he dispelled the jutsu, only to find himself atop the Hokage Monument.

"This time it's _**Ninpo: Ten-za o Ki no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Mind Translocation Jutsu)**_?" Inoichi remarked, "Better, but still not up to scratch." All that did was move the intruder from the central mental construct to an outlying area of the mindscape.

He made a few handsigns and used the same jutsu to propel himself back into the mental construct of the Inuzuka Compound. Inoichi frowned. These defences were, by all standards, pathetic. Any _rookie_ Yamanaka chunin could set those two jutsu up.

'_Then again, Haruo was only promoted to jonin four years ago and this alteration was performed _six_ years ago, so it's not a stretch to presume that he didn't know any more advanced mental defences than the standard Chunin-rank ones. Better tread carefully, just to be safe._' Inoichi decided.

The Clan Head of the Yamanaka Clan dispelled the second trap jutsu and then used a jutsu known only to the senior members of the Yamanaka Clan that deactivated and destroyed any jutsu that used the host-mind's body to attack the intruder's real body.

The sound of two noises similar to glass shattering, signalling the destruction of two jutsu of the targeted criteria, made Inoichi smile. Then the sound of a lot of rapidly approaching paws reached his ear, coming from his left.

Turning his head, he saw a large pack of ninken approaching him. "Ah, _**Ninpo: Kokoro Hogo-sha **__**Sōzō no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Mind Guardian Creation Jutsu)**_. I was wondering what the last card he played would be. The borderline-jonin jutsu that uses imagery from the host's mind to assail and expunge the intruder. Very well played. Any _average_ member of the Yamanaka Clan would be low on chakra and overwhelmed at this point."

Swiftly forming seals, he banished the pack from existence. "Sadly for Haruo, I am _not_ an average Clan member." he said firmly, "Now, where is that pesky nexus…"

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**At the Same Time**

**Training Ground 38, Konoha Outskirts**

Anko watched as her student and her clones practiced _**Doton: **__**Doryū Taiga**_ with some success, along with _**Doton: **__**Kansō-chi**_. All in all, Naruko had three hundred Shadow Clones working on the two jutsu: one hundred as targets for _**Doryū Taiga**_, one hundred actually using _**Doryū Taiga**_ and a hundred drying up the earth afterwards with _**Kansō-chi**_.

It was an efficient was of practicing the two jutsu and Anko gave herself a pat on the back for thinking of it.

'_Still, It's odd that she asked to learn a supplementary jutsu, rather than an attack or defence jutsu._' Anko mused, '_Meh, whatever. She wants to be Hokage after all, so every Jutsu she learns is another one for the required 1000 Jutsu a Hokage has to master._'

"Alright brat, that's enough training on this for today." She called out.

Naruko looked around at her. "But I haven't got it down yet!"

"Brat, it's a Doton, you are a Futon/Suiton element." Anko told her firmly, "Just like how Hinata has problems with her _**Juken**_, you are going to find Doton troublesome to learn, same with Raiton. Besides, you've just completed the best part of a weeks training with those two jutsu as it is. Dispel your clones so we can head back."

Begrudgingly, Naruko complied. After the last clones dispelled, the Uzumaki Heiress trotted over to Anko.

"Oh! Anko-sensei, we've got to go to Tenten-san's shop and pick up my new clothes!" she blurted out.

"So we do." Anko nodded, "Tomorrow."

"Eh?"

"It's tomorrow that we have to pick up the clothes." Anko reminded the excitable girl patiently.

"Oh. Well, I guess we should do a bit of food shopping and head back home than." Naruko said.

"Yup. And when we're there, you can tell me all about that gauntlet of yours." Anko replied conversationally.

Naruko stopped and looked at her sensei. "Oh?"

"Uh-huh. 'Nai-chan was telling me it helps you with dispelling genjutsu." Anko replied, "And since you never take it off, even when doing the nasty, it must require constant contact to do that."

"Pretty much." Naruko admitted.

"Now why'd you keep such a secret from me and 'Nai-chan?" Anko actually pouted at her.

Naruko sweatdropped at the sight of a pouting Tokubetsu Jonin. "All ninja have their secrets, Anko-sensei." she replied uncomfortably.

"True, but how are 'Nai-chan and I supposed to teach you if you hold information on your abilities back from us?" Anko riposted, "You do need to keep secrets from people, but _not_ from your team. _Especially_ not from your senseis."

"Sorry." Naruko replied, chastised.

"Meh, no bother." Anko shrugged, "Fill me in when we get back to the Compound and we'll call it quits."

"OK." Naruko replied as the two kunoichi walked out of the training ground.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Timeskip - An Hour Later**

**Inuzuka Kiba's Mindscape**

Inoichi grunted with effort as he tore apart the last of the mind-altering jutsus that affected Kiba's mind. They had been concealed adequately enough. The _**Saihen o Ki no Jutsu **_had been concealed under Kiba's bed, the _**Ikari Sōsa no Jutsu **_had been at the bottom of the manure pile (and he was going to have _words_ with Haruo about that) and the last one, which he had just destroyed, the _**Uma Mekakushi no Jutsu**_, had been in the dining room of all places.

'_Now, to find and deal with that Death Seal._' Inoichi thought grimly as he stalked around the mental world he was in, in search of his target. He _had_ to remove it, otherwise there was a chance it could be remotely activated by a confederate of Haruo's that they had missed.

The Yamanaka Clan Head entered the training area of the Compound and immediately espied the target of his search. The seal covered the centre of the field like a grotesque swollen tumour. It was a sickly black/green colour and seemed to pulse with its own life.

Very, _very_ carefully, Inoichi examined the seal. It was a very powerful one and had lost its anchoring Jutsus, so it was volatile. Any hasty move on his part could set it off, doing who knows what kind of damage to the boy's brain.

'_Hmm. It's well applied._' Inoichi noted clinically, '_The matrix is solid enough that even without the three jutsu it was linked and anchored to, it is still stable enough not to activate without a push of some sort. Now how to get rid of it…?_'

Inoichi had looked up the details of the _**Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin**_ before meeting with Tsume and Hana. The seal was elegant in its simplicity, causing the host's brain to suffer a fatal aneurysm within a few hours of activation. It was a tricky seal to place and an even trickier prospect to remove, as you had only one chance to do both.

Inoichi ran through the handsign sequence that temporarily rendered the seal useless and activated it. The Seal froze and drew into itself, shrinking from the size of a horse and cart to that of a regular dog in seconds.

Running forwards, Inoichi caused a mental projection of a katana to appear in his hand. Reaching the shivering seal, he stabbed his blade into the centre of it and forced all of his remaining chakra through the sword and into the seal.

"_**Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin: Jibaku! (Neural Aneurism Death Seal: Destruct!)**_" he shouted. There was no way to safely release the death seal; it _had_ to be destroyed while it was inert, it was the only way to fully excise the seal from a host.

The seal unleashed a shriek of pain and attempted to expand again, but Inoichi was having none of it; he spread his chakra throughout the entire seal and forced it to obey the command he had just issued to it: die.

With a final hideous wail, the seal dissolved into nothing, along with the phantasmal katana Inoichi had created to destroy it. Staggering slightly, Inoichi gasped for breath. That had been one of the _strongest_ seals he had ever had to remove from a persons mind, and he knew that the _**Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin **_was _nothing_ compared to one of the Uzumaki Clan's seals.

'_Kushina would be laughing at me right now and saying something like, "What? You mean _that_ pathetic thing tired you out? Looks like you need to start picking up your training-'ttbane!"_' Inoichi thought whimsically as he recovered from his exertion.

Straightening up, Inoichi ran through several detection jutsu, including one that only the Head of the Yamanaka Clan had access to, in order to confirm he had cleared Kiba's mind of all seals.

Breathing a sigh of relief once all the results came back negative, Inoichi formed one last handsign.

"_**Kai!**_" He commanded, and left Kiba's mind.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Real World**

Tsume and Hana started as Inoichi removed his hand from Kiba's head and fell on his ass, panting and gasping as if he had run a ninja-length marathon. He reached into his pocket and shakily drew out a food pill, which he crunched and swallowed as fast as he could.

"Inoichi?" Tsume knelt by her friend in concern.

"Th-That seal…was the most…" Inoichi rasped out, "…difficult removal…I have _ever_ had...to do."

Hana was running a diagnostic jutsu over him as he spoke and her eyes widened. "You almost ran out of chakra! Eat another food pill now!" she ordered.

Chuckling hoarsely, Inoichi obeyed. Hana's expression relaxed somewhat once the second food pill started working its magic on his chakra levels.

"You cut it too close, Inoichi-san." the med-nin admonished him.

"Didn't have any choice." Inoichi replied hoarsely, "I only had one chance to remove the Death Seal on Kiba, so I had to risk it. He's clean now, so everything turned out alright in the end."

As he spoke, the device covering Kiba's body whirred softly as it retracted into the floor again.

"I think it's time for Kiba-san to wake up now and reap what he has sown." Inoichi observed with a small smile.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Kiba's Perspective.**

Pain. Intense pain. Kiba reluctantly swam into painful consciousness and wished he could return to blessed, _painless_ unconsciousness. His head felt like a blacksmiths' anvil and his mouth was dry as a desert at midday.

He let out a groan and tried to open and eye. Pain.

Okay, leave the eyes alone for now.

"Pup, can you hear me?" a familiar voice asked from nearby.

"K-Kaa-san?" Kiba rasped out.

"How do you feel?" she asked.

"Like someone just used my head to make Mochi." Kiba replied with a wince.

"Makes sense, considering you just had a Yamanaka in your head." another voice quipped from the same direction as his mothers.

"Nee-san?"

"Yup. And boy, are you in _trouble_, little brother." Hana's voice said darkly.

Daring to try to open an eye as a test, Kiba peered in the direction of his mother and sisters voices. A pair of scowling faces made him wish that he hadn't.

"Oh crap…" Kiba muttered. He would have tried to run for it, but he was secured to the

Over the next ten minutes, Kiba was lambasted by the synchronised pair of Inuzuka women. His intelligence, integrity, manhood and basic common sense were called into question. At the end of the rant, he was issued with a proclamation from his Alpha mother.

"You will be moving back into the Inuzuka Compound, pup, so that you can be retrained from the bottom up!" Tsume told Kiba, who went white.

"R-R-R-R-Retraining?" he squeaked out.

"Ah? Oh, no, not Retraining." Tsume reassured her son, "But we will be training you in the basic jutsu and fighting styles of the Inuzuka Clan from the bottom up, as well as stomping out your ridiculous notions that kunoichi are inferior to ninja in any way, shape or form. Understood?"

"Hai, Kaa-san." Kiba said dejectedly. He had a feeling that while this wasn't actual retraining, it was going to be just as humiliating but in a different way.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Same Time**

**Training Room, New Uzumaki Clan Compound, Clan Residential District**

"Now that's something you don't see every day." Anko said admiringly as Naruko's Shadow Clone slowly and firmly fed the katana she had bought from Tenten's shop into En'ō Kago-te's open maw.

She had been sceptical when Naruko had told her about her gauntlet's transformation ability, but she had been made a believer when Naruko demonstrated it by using her _**Buki Henge: Kongō**__**bō Jutsu (Weapon Transformation: Adamantine Staff Jutsu)**_.

"Yeah, though when I first put it on, it nearly gave me chakra exhaustion." Naruko replied, "Thankfully, _that_ was a one-time thing. Now, when I pass on, anyone can wear it as long as they have jonin-level chakra."

"Wait, so it _can't_ come off?" Anko asked.

"Unless I use a _**Buki Henge**_, yes." Naruko said as the last of the katana was swallowed by the gauntlet with a {POP}. The mouth retracted and the rotating plates on En'ō Kago-te started to rotate with speed until it stopped at the blank plate next to the bō plate and the kanji '**刀**' (Katana) appeared on it.

"Taking the new form for a test drive?" Anko asked.

"Sure." Naruko said and made the monkey handsign, "_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongōgatana! (Gauntlet of the Monkey King: Weapon Transformation: Adamantine Katana!)**_"

In a puff of smoke, the gauntlet transformed into a black bladed Katana, with a bronze Tsuba and Tsuka with snarling monkey heads engraved into those locations.

"Wow." Anko had to admit that that was one dangerous looking sword.

"Let's try it out." Naruko said thoughtfully, "Enma-sama said that adamantine is called 'the metal that cuts, but cannot _be_ cut'."

The blond Kunoichi walked over and performed a basic shoulder-to-opposite-waist kesa-giri (Monk's Robe Cut) on the nearest training dummy. The wood and straw contraption was split in twain and the upper half slid off of the lower half to land on the floor with an audible thud.

"I barely even put _any_ strength behind that cut." Naruko said, amazed.

"Let's try cutting _it_ then." Anko said as she drew a kunai and charged at Naruko, who eep'd in surprise and raised the Kongōgatana to block the incoming cut.

{CHING!}

Both kunoichi were stunned to see the kunai, made from good quality steel, bend like a soft banana when it was forced to try and cut the adamantine blade.

"Wow." Anko repeated, "That is some _dense_ metal."

Naruko nodded silently before making a half-tiger handsign. "_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kai!**_" she commanded, reverting the sword to its original form in another puff of smoke.

"So, you can add another...ten weapons to the gauntlet?" Anko asked, "Any ideas what the next is going to be?"

"A Fūma Shuriken." Naruko said at once, "Although, I'm not sure about whether to get a solid type, like the ones Mizuki-teme used, or a collapsible type."

Anko frowned. "You said that the quality of the initial weapon affects the quality of the finished adamantine weapon, correct?" she asked.

"That's what Enki-san said." Naruko confirmed.

"Go with a solid type then." Anko advised, "The collapsible ones are generally throwaway, average quality things."

"Right." Naruko nodded.

Just then, the door opened and an exhausted Kurenai walked in. Looking at Naruko and Anko, the Genjutsu Mistress gave them a small wave and asked, "Do you mind if I borrow a bed? I just found out that my apartment has been flooded."

Naruko nodded. "The second room on the left is yours, Kurenai-sensei." she told her teacher.

"Thanks Naruko-chan." Kurenai replied thankfully and trotted off to her room.

"Damn." Anko muttered, "Now we'll not get any more fun in until next week!"

Naruko shook her head and, standing up on her tiptoes, kissed her sensei on the cheek.

"Don't worry sensei. I bought you some dango, so you can relax while you eat those." she told a surprised Anko.

"Cheeky brat." Anko grumbled as she did an unusual thing for her and blushed.

Naruko merely grinned in response.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Next Chapter: The Trial of Team 7**

**Author's Note: I didn't exactly punish Kiba here -his mother did, ha!**

**No, seriously, this is ****not**** a Kiba-bashing fic. A slight Sas-uke bashing fic (Very slight), and definitely a slight Kakashi bashing fic, but not Kiba. He thinks with his crotch, is hotheaded and impulsive, but likable for all that.**

**Kiba is getting punished - by having to relearn every single clan jutsu he has been taught and getting smacked about whenever he spouts off anti-kunoichi rubbish, swiftly followed by a lecture on ****exactly**** how wrong he is.**

**See you next week!**

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is one that I have made.**

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Genjutsu: Oto ****Zōfuku no Jutsu - Illusion: Sound Amplification Jutsu**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A Jutsu developed in an attempt to mimic the enhanced hearing of the Inuzuka Clan, the end result was less than satisfactory due to the overload of sound that the target receives as a result. Put bluntly, this genjutsu was far too effective. Abandoned by the Tracking Corps, this jutsu was later chosen by Morino Ibiki as an effective tool of breaking shinobi via sensory overload._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yamanaka Kinjutsu: ****Saihen o Ki no Jutsu - Yamanaka Forbidden Jutsu: Mind Restructuring Jutsu**

Rank: A

Type: _Kinjutsu, Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A forbidden technique, this jutsu allows the user to freely manipulate the target's mind after entering it with the Shintenshin no Jutsu. The only things that cannot be altered are a persons deeply held convictions as the human mind automatically protects such convictions._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yamanaka Ninpo: Ikari Sōsa no Jutsu - Yamanaka Ninja Art: Anger Manipulation Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A basic Yamanaka Clan Mind Manipulation Jutsu that can be embedded into the mind of a target after the user enters it with Shintenshin no Jutsu. It forces the target to become angry at any trigger the user sets, be it words, people, food or anything else. Advanced users can even make multiple targets per jutsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yamanaka Ninpo: Uma Mekakushi no Jutsu - Yamanaka Ninja Art: Horse Blinders Jutsu**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A basic Yamanaka Clan Mind Manipulation Jutsu that can be embedded into the mind of a target after the user enters it via Shintenshin no Jutsu. This Jutsu makes it incredibly difficult for a target to think of anything but the here and now. The longer this jutsu is in place the more straight-lined the target's thoughts become._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin - Neural Aneurism Death Seal**

Rank: A

Type: _Fūinjutsu, Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A seal created by the Yamanaka Clan to assassinate people and not leave a trace behind. By entering the target's mind via Shintenshin no Jutsu, the user can emplace the seal in the target's mindscape, set to activate automatically after a certain period of time or via remote activation or as a trap. After it is activated, it causes the target to have an artificially induced aneurism, killing or gravely wounding the target._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Doryū Taiga no Jutsu - Earth Style: Earth Flow River Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user transforms the ground beneath the target into a river of mud, moving them away from the user and upsetting their balance. Can be used as a base for other jutsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Doton: ****Kansō-chi no Jutsu - Earth Style: Dry Earth Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _The user manipulates the surrounding earth into absorbing mud and then increases the density of the soil so the surface is dry and the water within the absorbed mud is evenly distributed throughout the area._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Yamanaka Ichizoku Ninpo: Dokushinjutsu - Yamanaka Clan Ninja Art: Mind Reading Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Yamanaka Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _Using a Mind Reading Amplification Device, the user places a hand on the target's head and enters their mind without leaving their body. Depending on the users skill and experience, they could flick through days worth of memories in a matter of seconds or have to go through each memory individually before moving on to the next._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Ninpo: ****Kumori Nentō no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Cloudy Mind Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A Mental Defence Jutsu created by the Yamanaka Clan. This jutsu obscures the surroundings of the mindscape, preventing an intruder from viewing it. The first such technique taught to chunin-rank Yamanaka Clansmen, it is easy to counter and rarely used outside of practice._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Ninpo: Ten-za o Ki no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Mind Translocation Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A Mental Defence/Movement Jutsu created by the Yamanaka Clan. This jutsu either teleports an intruder in a mindscape from the target location to the outskirts of the mindscape or teleports the user to the desired location in the mindscape._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Ninpo: Kokoro Hogo-sha ****Sōzō no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Mind Guardian Creation Jutsu**

Rank: Mid-B

Type: _Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, Offensive, Defensive_

Effect: _A Trap/Mind Defence Jutsu created by the Yamanaka Clan. This jutsu is laid as an emergency countermeasure in case one or more inactivated defence jutsu are destroyed. Upon activation, this jutsu seizes upon an image that the host-consciousness views as being strong and creates a 'Mind Guardian', an avatar that seeks out and attacks the intruder who destroyed the defence jutsus. Can be dispelled with the right counter-jutsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin: Jibaku - Neural Aneurism Death Seal: Destruct**

Rank: A

Type: _Yamanaka Clan Jutsu, __Fūinjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _The counter-Jutsu for the __Shinkei Dōmyaku Kobu Fūjin. The user first causes the seal to shrink by using the jutsu that temporarily renders the seal inert, then creates a sword of pure mental energy, stabs it into the centre of the seal and forces a considerable amount of chakra through the blade and into the seal, causing it to disintegrate harmlessly. This can only be attempted once due to a failsafe built into the seal's matrix._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongōgatana - Gauntlet of the Monkey King: Weapon Transformation: Adamantine Katana**

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Bukijutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _Transforms En'ō Kago-te into a katana made of Adamantine. The blade is at the optimum length and weight for the user to wield it with._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**


	11. The Trial of Team 7

**Author's Note: Hey. Here is the latest Chapter.**

**I have a Poll up on my page regarding the fate of one Kin Tsuchi. Should she live or die?**

**If she lives, she has three options: 1) Become Anko's Pet. Meaning she is Anko's Sex slave essentially.**

**2) Becomes a Retainer of the Uzumaki Clan. She swears personal fealty to Naruko and becomes the equivalent of a Major-domo.**

**3) Lives as an ordinary Shinobi of Konoha. A boring choice, but one I thought should be put on the table.**

**Should she have a threesome with Anko and Naruko is she lives? Hm, I think so.**

**Now, in this chapter, I suspect that people will be screaming 'Mary Sue!' at me. Listen here: she is not. She has merely trained harder, for longer, with a sensei who isn't a lazy perverted, self-righteous git. **

**She also will get a reality check in the next Arc. A major one.**

**Enough from me, On with the Fic!**

**Oh, Review as well please.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, Kishimoto does.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 11: The Trial of Team 7**

**Timeskip - A Month Later, 12.00 am**

**Shinobi Memorial Stone, Training Field Seven, Konoha Outskirts**

Hatake Kakashi sighed as he feigned reading his favourite book, Icha-Icha Paradise, as he stood in front of the Memorial Stone. He was _not_ happy about the test that was due to take place later on today.

'_They're only genin!_' Was his main argument that he kept repeating to himself, '_they've only just began their careers as shinobi. There's plenty of time for them to become strong in the future._'

Kakashi knew that becoming powerful at a young age was more of a curse than a blessing. After all, hadn't he become a jonin at the age of nine? Hadn't he then lost both of his teammates and his sensei?

Even now, he could see Obito's body crushed beneath that boulder and feel his arm, encased by his personal jutsu, the _**Chidori (1000 Birds)**_, pierce Rin's chest like a skewer.

Worst of all was being forced to watch helplessly as his sensei, the Yondaime Hokage, vanish in order to sacrifice both his life, and the future of his newborn daughter, in order to defeat something no mortal should be able to defeat.

No, Kakashi was right about this. He needed to remain Team 7's Jonin-sensei. He shuddered to think what Mitarashi Anko would do to them. Unlike the ignorant villagers, Kakashi had nothing against the woman, in regards to her sensei's defection and abandonment of her that is.

It was her ultra-sadistic, not to mention _scary_, attitude that was the focus of his objections to Anko. The woman wouldn't know restraint if it danced naked in front of her with a tea cosy on its head. She would push the kids too far and quite possibly traumatise them for life.

Kakashi reluctantly closed his book and stowed it in his pouch. It was almost exactly three hours after when he was supposed to meet with his team, so it was time to get going.

Vanishing in a puff of smoke, he appeared on the bridge at the edge of the training ground. Waiting impatiently for him was his genin team. Sasuke was leaning against one of the three training stumps, arms folded across his chest and looking bored. Sakura was reading a scroll that contained a minor genjutsu he had given her the previous day, whilst Kiba was playing with Akamaru.

The same as they had been for the last month.

Kakashi didn't know why Kiba had been moved back to the Inuzuka Compound. When he had asked, the Hokage had merely looked at him pityingly and said that if he had done more than pay lip service to his roll as a sensei, he would know why.

Kakashi mentally shrugged. The Hokage couldn't have it both ways. Either they were fully emancipated ninja who were responsible for their own problems, or they were kids who needed a firm hand.

Kiba and Sakura noticed that he had arrived first.

"YOU'RE LATE!" They roared at him in irritation.

Kakashi eye-smiled at them. "Ah, that's because I had to help an old lady across the road and she insisted on treating me to lunch." he lied.

"THAT'S A LIE AND YOU KNOW IT!" was hurtled at him with such force that he actually winced.

"Maa, maa, calm down." Kakashi said in a pacifying manner, "We have to get going now kids."

"Why Kakashi-sensei? What're we doing?" Sakura asked curiously.

"Please tell me it isn't another lame-ass D-Rank mission." Kiba groused, Akamaru barking in agreement.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted as he shoved his hands in the pockets of his shorts.

"Nope!" Kakashi replied faux-cheerfully, "You three are going to be tested."

Three almost identical deadpan looks came into appearance on his genin's faces.

"""Huh, say what?""" they asked in unison.

"You three are going to be tested." Kakashi repeated, "To be accurate, you will be having a match against a person of the Hokage's choice. You don't have to win, just prove that you have become stronger since graduating from the Academy."

"Are the other teams going to be tested?" asked Sakura suspiciously.

"Will you _look_ at the time?" Kakashi exclaimed, ignoring Sakura's question, "There's only five minutes before the match starts. You'd better get moving."

"Gaah! Damn it all, Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura snarled, "Where are we supposed to go?"

"Training Field 8." Kakashi replied.

"THAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF KONOHA, DAMN IT!" Kiba yelled in frustration, "There's no way we'll make it in time!"

"Grab on to each other." Kakashi told them. Giving him an odd look, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm and Sasuke reluctantly grabbed Kiba's arm. Akamaru just jumped into Kiba's coat.

"Alright, here we go!" Kakashi said as he grabbed both Sakura and Kiba's shoulders. The three genin and one jonin vanished in a swirl of leaves.

In what seemed like a blur of motion to the three members of Team 7, they appeared in the centre of Training Ground 8. After Kakashi released them, it took them a moment or two to get their bearings.

Sarutobi Hiruzen stood waiting for them, as were Teams 6, 9 and 10. Team 8 was conspicuous by its absence.

"Ah, Kakashi." the Hokage glanced at the silver-haired man reprovingly, "You were almost late."

"Maa, Maa, Hokage-sama, we're here now." Kakashi replied easily, "Ara? Where's the opponent for my team? And why are the other teams here?"

"Yosh! In the spirit of Youth, we were invited to see your students' most Youthful Challenge, Kakashi!" Gai boomed as he made a 'nice guy' pose.

Team 7, who had never seen Guy before, were goggling at the walking fashion hazard. Sakura wanted to throw up at the sight of his unbelievably bushy eyebrows, Sasuke's eye twitched and his hands were itching to form the handsigns for one of his fire style jutsu. Kiba was torn between disgust for the man's outfit and a morbid fascination of why anyone would put up with a man like that for a Jonin-sensei.

"Hmm? Did you say something, Gai?" Kakashi deadpanned, making the spandex-clad man faceplant.

"Curse you Kakashi, and your hip attitude too!" Gai declared dramatically after he was standing once again.

Sarutobi coughed once to attract the attention of the two jonin. "Ahem. Now, Team 8 will arrive in a few moments. I had them pick up a few things in town for me. As to the opponent you will face…" he said with a small smile.

"That would be me." a loud female voice said, seemingly from all around them. Kakashi and Team 7 looked around them for the source, but couldn't see anyone other than Hayate's team, Gai's team and Asuma's team.

A small tornado erupted in the centre of the field near Team 7, making Sakura shriek in surprise. Kakashi narrowed his only visible eye.

'_A __**Kaze Shunshin (Wind Body Flicker)**__?_' he thought in surprise. Most people just used the basic _**Shunshin no Jutsu**_, which used a puff of chakra-smoke to disguise the user's movements. Elemental _**Sunshins**_ were possible, using mist, water, fire, sand and leaves, but this was the first time he had seen _pure wind _used in a _**Shunshin**_.

The tornado abated and cleared, revealing Uzumaki Naruko grinning at them cockily.

"Ready?" she said with a slightly evil grin.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Naruko's Perspective**

"Naruko?" Sakura asked in disbelief, "You are our opponent?"

"And that's so hard to believe because why?" Naruko asked with narrowed eyes.

Because you are the _dobe_, dobe." Sasuke snorted, "I'm insulted that you are considered a worthy test for me."

"Itoko (Cousin), you need to stop being so arrogant." Naruko said flatly.

"I'm not related to you!" Sasuke snarled.

"Yes you are." the Hokage interjected, "The Uchiha, Hyuuga, Senju and Uzumaki are distantly related clans. Very distantly related, but the relation is acknowledged by all of them."

"I'm…related to the _dobe_?!" Sasuke muttered incredulously, "What next?"

"You get your butt kicked by me, that's what!" Naruko said confidently.

"Tch. Yeah right, dobe!" Ami sneered from the sidelines.

"Quiet in the peanut gallery!" Naruko shot back.

"Ami, enough." Hayate remonstrated his student mildly, "Academy scores are meaningless in the real world."

The purple haired girl huffed, but shut up.

"Gaki! What did I tell you about running off ahead of people?" Anko asked irately as she strode into the Training Field proper while carrying a plastic bag. Kurenai, Hinata and Ino soon followed.

"Ehhehehe! Sorry, Anko-chan-sensei." Naruko said with a grin.

"Just call me '-sensei' already!" Anko said as she rolled her eyes, "You can leave the '-chan' off completely!"

"But it suits you so well, Anko-chan-sensei!" Naruko said mischievously.

"Grrr, that does it!" Anko shouted as she put the bag down and leapt at Naruko, "C'mere!"

"Hahahaha! No way!" Naruko responded as she ran off.

The gathered shinobi were treated to the amusing sight of witnessing a Tokubetsu Jonin chasing a genin around like a cat chasing a mouse, with the mouse occasionally teasing and taunting the cat.

Shikamaru took this in and sighed. "Great. Naruko's become even more troublesome in just a month."

Shino adjusted his glasses and said, "I agree. She is quite different than she was. Why you ask? Because she is not wasting any movement as she runs and cavorts across the ground."

"Yosh! Naruko-chan has improved greatly!" Rock Lee expounded.

"Indeed." Neiji reluctantly agreed as he cast the occasional scowl at Hinata.

"Hah!" Ami scoffed, "I could take her easily."

"N-Naruko-chan could beat you and your t-two lackeys with ease!" Hinata said with a mild glare at the former-Queen Bitch of the Academy.

The two 'lackeys' bristled at the comment made by the Hyuuga Heiress, but merely scowled at her in the presence of the Hokage.

Sarutobi sighed as he brought the teams under control. It seems that Ami was in need of being taken down a peg or two as well.

"Now then. I shall outline the rules of the spar." Sarutobi said once the genin settled down, "No weapons are to be used except kunai and shuriken, no jutsu beyond C-Rank is permitted and no-one is to leave the Training Field. The spar will last until either one side gives up, is rendered unable to fight or is knocked unconscious. Killing and deliberate maiming are forbidden. Do both sides acknowledge and agree to these stipulations?"

Naruko shrugged her sword off of her back and held it out to Ino. "Here, Ino-chan. Can you hold my sword for me?" she asked.

"But…this is your mother's sword!" Ino protested.

"It is, and I trust you to look after it." Naruko replied. Ino looked at her friend for a moment before nodding and accepted Naruko's Family Heirloom before standing back.

"I accept the terms." Naruko replied formally.

"Hn. That's fine by me." Sasuke sneered.

Sarutobi ignored him. "ASL of Team 7, do you accept these terms on behalf of your teammates?" He asked Sakura, who was looking at Sasuke nervously.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I accept the terms." Sakura replied. Sasuke still looked outraged that not only had the Hokage snubbed him in favour of a _civilian_, but also by the fact that said civilian was his immediate superior.

"Very good." Sarutobi chose to ignore Sasuke's building anger…for the moment, "Warm up, then take your positions."

The genin began to limber up with stretches and, in Naruko's case, shadow boxing. The Hokage gestured Kakashi and Kurenai to come over to him.

"Kakashi, what have you taught your genin over the past month?" Sarutobi asked quietly, so Naruko couldn't hear them.

"Kiba has been trained exclusively by his Clan." Kakashi replied lazily, "You would know better than me as to why…I taught Sakura a couple of minor genjutsu and worked on her taijutsu. Her _**Hakage**_ style is now at a reasonable level. Sasuke….I taught him a couple of fire jutsu and corrected the flaws in his _**Bōju Ken (Intercepting Fist)**_ style. Other than that, I gave them some strength and stamina drills."

"…" The Hokage looked at Kakashi for a moment. He _had_ taught his team some things, which was a surprise in and of itself, and true, Kiba had been taught his Clan's taijutsu style, _**Jūjin Taijutsu (Beast-Human Taijutsu)**_, from the ground up, as well as a few of the special taijutsu attacks of the Clan.

However…

"You didn't teach Sakura any offensive ninjutsu?" Sarutobi asked for clarification, "You didn't teach Sasuke any genjutsu?"

"I had a month to teach them what I could, Hokage-sama." Kakashi replied, "The best way to do that was to divide the team into roles. Kiba is the close combat specialist, Sakura is the genjutsu support specialist and Sasuke is the ninjutsu support specialist."

The Sandaime nodded begrudgingly. It was a sensible way to go about it, improving the overall specialisations of the team so they could work as one to defeat their opponent…_if_ the team can work together.

Turning to Kurenai, Sarutobi enquired as to what she had taught Naruko over the past month.

Kurenai smiled proudly. "Naruko has been working furiously to learn as much of the _**Ushio-Ken**_ as she possibly could, and she has now achieved reasonable mastery up to the intermediate forms and she is currently working on the advanced forms.

In regards to genjutsu, Naruko has no skill at genjutsu whatsoever, although she can detect and dispel genjutsu up to, and including, High C-Rank. I have started all three of my genin on the Tree-Climbing Exercise as well and she is progressing at a good pace.

As to ninjutsu, she has mastered an additional Futon and Suiton jutsu, as well as one Doton jutsu, one Katon jutsu and a single Raiton jutsu. She is also working on a second Raiton, but Raiton and Doton are difficult for her to learn, so it could take a while."

Sarutobi beamed proudly at his surrogate granddaughter's achievements. "Well done, Kurenai-san." he told her proudly.

"That's just what **I** taught her." Kurenai replied, "Anko has been giving her lessons on the weekends, although exactly what I do not know. She's been very…_secretive_ about the whole thing."

Sarutobi used his years of experience as a shinobi to resist blushing and unleashing a nosebleed of epic proportions. He knew _precisely_ what Anko and Naruko had been getting up to, because after every session, Anko had dropped off a scroll at his desk with a progress update on the Injutsu training Naruko was receiving.

She was now becoming adept at dominating her partners, after Anko had requested permission to bring two chunin-level kunoichi into the mix, Maehara Rinka and Maehara Ringo. She was also becoming good at Shibari, the combination being a bit too much for the two chunin, who had been broken to Naruko's will as a result and now referred to Naruko as 'Mistress' at all times.

Naruko had apologised for that and had explained that she had taken things too far during a…session. Sarutobi understood that and forgave her, but the upshot was that she had permanently converted two kunoichi of Konoha into her personal pets, unintentionally or not.

That had been…_troublesome_, to quote the Nara, but manageable. They were now officially vassals of the Uzumaki Clan and were the gate guards of the compound, a standing B-Rank mission. The Hokage explained it to Kurenai, Ino and Hinata as extra insurance against an attack by rogue shinobi like Haruo, which had been accepted at face value by the three.

Anko had also taught Naruko some of her _**Hebi Ninpo**_ that could be turned into both Injutsu and combat. She had also taught Naruko _**Doton: Doryū Taiga**_, _**Doton: **__**Kansō-chi**_ and _**Katon: Endan**_, which was phenomenal for a genin, even using the advanced _**Kage Bunshin**_ training that Naruko used.

"I'm sure that Anko has been keeping her teaching to appropriate strictures." Sarutobi said soothingly, "Now, it seems that the four of them are ready. Let's get this underway."

Indeed, Naruko and Sasuke looked as if they might start without permission. The glared that the two were exchanging were giving clear warning of their intentions. The Hokage frowned. This was not a good thing, for there to be such antagonism between two genin, both the last of their clans.

'_The Curse of Hatred of the Uchiha and the Eternal Loyalty of the Uzumaki are at loggerheads._' Sarutobi thought with a sigh.

The Uzumaki had broken off from the Senju hundreds of years ago, long before the Warring Clan Period had begun. While the rest of the world had engaged in a bloodbath, the Uzumaki had contented themselves with the defence of their island home. When asked by both the Uchiha and Senju Clans, one after another, for an alliance, the Uzumaki Clan leaders had refused to aid their distant cousins in slaughtering each other.

In matter of fact, they had offered sanctuary to all those from both clans that didn't wish to fight and kill each other, although just in case, they were kept at opposite sides of Uzu no Kuni and watched very carefully.

The Senju had eventually accepted the refusal of the Uzumaki to ally against the Uchiha, but the Uchiha had been less forgiving. Uchiha Madara himself had ranted at the 'cowardice' of the Uzumaki and had sworn that they would feel his wrath, in this life or the next.

After his death at the hands of Senju Hashirama, the Uzumaki had dismissed Madara's threat of vengeance. Seventy years later, Uzushiogakure lay in ruins, its people put to the sword. Had it not been for the facts that both Madara was long dead and it was a joint attack by three different Hidden Villages, Sarutobi would have sworn that Madara had planned that attack, as it had born all of the hallmarks of his plans: swift, ruthless and heartless.

"Take your positions!" Sarutobi ordered, snapping himself out of his depressing memories. He had lost more than a few friends when Uzu had fallen.

Naruko assumed a stance familiar to her own team, as well as Gai's team, the Araumi stance, and awaited the order to begin.

Sasuke curled his lip derisively as he took a loose ready position; Sakura drew a kunai and took up a support position on his left flank. Kiba and Akamaru took the right flank, ready to rush Naruko from the get go.

Sarutobi raised his hand for a moment then brought his hand down sharply, "Begin!" he commanded.

Immediately, Kiba made the Tiger handsign and said, "_**Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu! (Beast Mimicry Ninja Art: Four Legs Jutsu!)**_"

Kiba crouched on the ground, chakra surrounding his body and his features becoming more feral; his nails became short claws, his canines lengthened and his pupils became slits.

Sakura launched the kunai in her hand at Naruko, followed by two shuriken, while Sasuke began to run through a familiar handsign sequence.

Naruko merely moved two steps to the side and the thrown weapons missed her and thudded into the ground.

"Tenten-san is better at Shurikenjutsu and thrown weapons than you are Sakura-chan." Naruko said casually, "So you might want to try something else."

On the sidelines, Tenten grinned at the compliment.

"How about this!" Kiba roared as both he and Akamaru charged Naruko from both sides in a pincer manoeuvre. Naruko merely smiled as she leapt into the air, reaching three meters high.

"Like that'll save you!" Kiba shouted as first him, then his ninken leapt into the air after her, his jutsu enhancing his muscles to the point that such a feat was easy for him. Akamaru had been taught to enhance his legs with chakra by his father, Kuromaru.

As her assailants drew close, Naruko grinned. "_**Ushio-Ken: Engetsugeri (Tide-Fist Style: Circle Moon Kick)**_" she called out as she began to rapidly spin.

Unable to stop themselves, Kiba and Akamaru slammed into Naruko's rapidly revolving legs and were kicked at least twice, possibly three times, before using one blow to sail away from her.

Gai beamed proudly. "Yosh! My student's use of the Inuzuka's _**Tsūga**_ has enabled this most youthful technique!" he explained to the watching shinobi.

"Quite." Kakashi winced at his 'rivals' volume, "But why did she name it after one of the lunar phases?"

"She said that it wasn't an uncommon thing to do with the Uzumaki Taijutsu styles." Gai replied, "Indeed, Engetsu (Circle Moon) was the only one that did not have a technique named for it."

Meanwhile, Sasuke finished his jutsu. "_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!)**_" He declared as a wide flame erupted from his mouth, rapidly approaching Naruko.

"Naruko-chan!" Ino called worriedly.

The flames engulfed Naruko, making Sakura gasp in horror. No one could get away from that unscathed!

"Teme, do you have something against logs or something?" Naruko's voice came from behind them, making Sasuke cease his jutsu and whirl around in astonishment.

Behind him, a pair of rather charred logs fell to the ground, while before him, Naruko stood unharmed. She wasn't even singed.

"How?!" Sasuke ground out.

Naruko shrugged. "I had logs prepared beforehand that I used the _**Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Jutsu)**_ on to look like me. I sealed them into a special tag that I activated before I _**Kawarimi'd **_with another regular log just before your flames reached me. Simple really." she said with a self-deprecating shrug.

"Let's see you dodge this then!" Kiba shouted, "Let's go Akamaru!" With an 'arf!' the white puppy leapt on his partner's back.

"_**Gijū Ninpō: Jūjin Bunshin no Jutsu! (Beast Imitation Ninja Art: Beast Clone Jutsu!)**_" Kiba growled out, as he and Akamaru became engulfed in chakra smoke. When it dispersed, an identical copy of Kiba knelt on his back.

"So you're going to use _**Gatsūga**_ then?" Naruko asked before grinning, "Well, sorry. It's _my_ turn to bring the fight to **you** now!"

Running through three familiar handsigns, she declared, much to the astonishment of her fellow graduates, "_**Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

Immediately, the field filled with hundreds of illusory clones of Naruko, crowding the entire field with red-and-yellow-haired copies.

"She actually used the _**Bunshin**_?!" Sakura exclaimed in shock.

"So many…!" Sasuke breathed and internally, he cursed the fact that his Dōjutsu had not yet manifested. The basic _**Bunshin**_ was easily seen through by any dōjutsu that permitted one to see chakra. It also didn't cast a shadow, but with this many clones, that would be rather difficult.

"Trying to hide? We'll flush you out!" Kiba roared as he threw Akamaru a food pill, which was rapidly swallowed, "_**Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatsūga! (Man-Beast Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: Fang Over Fang!)**_"

Both he and Akamaru used the _**Tsūga**_ simultaneously, revolving around each other as well, and creating a whirling drill of spinning claws and rending teeth that tore through the insubstantial clones like a hot knife through butter, dispersing two thirds of them in three passes, after which they stopped to catch their bearings for their next attack.

A sudden burst movement caught the eyes of the other two genin of Team 7 as the original Naruko leapt into the air above Kiba and pointed her open palms towards where Kiba and Akamaru had stopped temporarily.

"_**Raiton: Jibashi! (Lightning Style: Earth Flash!)**_" she called as two large streams of lightning erupted from each of her hands and arced towards the Inuzuka pair.

"Crap!" Kiba cursed as he and Akamaru tried to use the _**Tsūga**_ to get away from the incoming attack, but were clipped by the speeding electricity and flew through the air because of the discharge, hitting the ground with a pair of thumps, Akamaru reverting to his original form in a puff of smoke.

Sakura, meanwhile, had started making handsigns as soon as she had spotted Naruko. "_**Magen: **__**Hametsunokyōi no Jutsu! (Demonic Illusion: Portent of Doom Jutsu!)**_" she whispered, quashing the part of her that felt bad for using this _particular_ genjutsu no her friend.

Naruko landed on the ground and stiffened. Tears began to drop from her eyes and the watching shinobi could see her mouthing 'No…not this…no..!' as she slumped to her knees, held up by only her arms.

"Kakashi, is Sakura using the genjutsu I am _thinking_ she is?" Kurenai's voice was ice-cold with fury.

"It is." Kakashi replied warily, "I anticipated my team being tested by one of you or by an ANBU, so I taught Sakura a genjutsu that is particularly harsh for a C-Rank. There should be no way for Naruko to overcome that genjutsu."

"It could also break her spirit completely!" Kurenai hissed.

"Nai-chan, what's she seeing?" Anko asked with concern in her voice for her student.

"She's seeing the worst possible outcome of this fight." Kurenai said tightly, "Not merely winning or losing, but one where either she's crippled or worse, or she does serious harm to her friends. For someone who loves her friends like Naruko, it is quite possibly the _worst_ genjutsu to use against her."

Abruptly, Naruko looked at her gauntlet and made the Tiger Handsign. "_**KAI!**_" she yelled, sorrow evident in her voice as she cancelled the genjutsu.

Sakura was taken aback. That had been the most powerful genjutsu in her arsenal, yet Naruko had shaken it off with very little effort. She had changed so much from the incompetent loudmouth from the Academy.

Naruko slowly stood up and sent a glare at Sakura. "Sakura-chan…that was _completely_ uncalled for." she said softly.

The pinkette was stunned as Naruko seemed to vanish from her sight and reappear a foot away from of her in an instant.

"_**Ushio-Ken: **__**Takashio Shōtotsu (Tide-Fist Style: Storm Surge Collision)**_" Naruko said coldly as she struck out with her fists, striking her friend in her stomach and chest several times, before lashing out with a savage kick that sent Sakura flying to land a couple of meters away.

Sakura groaned once before falling unconscious, her last thought being, '_When I wake up, I am soooo apologising to Naruko-chan. Right after I slap her._'

"Wow." Anko remarked, "Naru-chan got _mad_."

"I'll say." Asuma said, speaking for the first time, "But she still held back enough so that Sakura was only just knocked out and no more. Controlled herself well, even when she was angry. That's a good trait for a shinobi to have."

By this time, Kiba and Akamaru had recovered from their minor electrocution and had reapplied the _**Jūjin Bunshin**_ to Akamaru.

Sasuke had concealed himself behind a group of Naruko Clones and was waiting for the opportune moment to strike. He didn't have to wait long.

"Let's show her the new jutsu we learned, Akamaru!" Kiba called to his partner as he tossed him another food pill, "_**Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi:**_ _**Gatenga! (Man-Beast Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: Fang Rotating Fang!)**_"

The partners became flying buzz saws that sped in to assault Naruko, shredding a leaf that floating in their way like tissue paper as they did.

Rapidly running through handsigns, Naruko leapt above the two living buzz saws. "_**Suiton: **__**Hōmatsu Rappa no Jutsu! (Water Style: Foam Scattered Waves Jutsu!)**_" she said, before unleashing a mass of foamy bubbles at her foes.

Taken by surprise, the two targets of Naruko's jutsu were struck full on by it. The spinning motion of the _**Gatenga**_ should have deflected the bubbles, except they seemed unusually…sticky. They clung to Kiba and Akamaru like white on rice. Worse, they were, rather paradoxically, very _slippery_, meaning that the more bubbles that attached to Kiba and Akamaru, the less traction they had to maintain their attack.

The misconception that most ninja had about the Inuzuka Clan's _**Taijutsu**_ _**Ōgi**_ was that they required no contact with the ground. This was patently untrue, as once every twenty or so revolutions, the user had to kick at the ground in order to maintain the spin/rotation. With this damnable jutsu hitting them, the friction that usually aided them in kicking off from the ground was rapidly dwindling to nothing, meaning the _**Gatenga**_ was going to end soon, especially if Naruko kept spitting out those damn bubbles!

"That is a _very_ disgusting attack." Ino remarked idly as she cradled Naruko's sword carefully.

"It works." Anko shrugged, "She wanted a Suiton that could disable rather than kill. This one fit the bill."

"How can _**Teppōdama**_ kill?" Ino asked with a frown.

"The force of the liquid bullets can be far more deadly than a kunai or shuriken because of the sheer speed they are fire at." The Hokage replied, "I once saw a well placed _**Teppōdama**_ take someone's head off. Naruko and yourselves tone the speed down to non-lethal levels in training sessions, but it can be used to kill as well as bruise."

"Oh." was all Ino could say in response as she watched Kiba and Akamaru take a nosedive into a rapidly building pile of bubbles. Naruko abruptly ended the jutsu as Uchiha Sasuke leapt and struck at her with a kunai, attempting to cut her.

She dodged the kunai by leaping to the side and launching her own attack at him. Sasuke blocked a fair few of the blows, but his _**Bōju Ken **_had been designed for someone with an active _**Sharingan**_ to use. Without it, there were several holes in his defence that Naruko exploited, ending with her knocking the kunai from his hand and sending it flying into a tree.

Sasuke leapt back and began making more handsigns. Naruko merely made the Tiger handsign and said, "_**Doton: Doryū Taiga no Jutsu!**_"

The mud river that erupted from beneath Sasuke sent him stumbling and sliding halfway across the field, but he managed to keep making his handsigns.

"_**Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!)**_" he shouted, unleashing a wave of small fireballs at Naruko.

Naruko smiled as she once again made the Tiger handsign. "_**Suiton: Teppōdama no Jutsu! (Water Style: Liquid Bullets Jutsu!)**_" she said as she launched a single bullet at each of the fireballs, extinguishing them and creating a cloud of steam.

{Whirr!}

A pair of shuriken came at her through the steam and Naruko sighed as she stepped to the side so they'd miss. She was therefore taken off guard when the shuriken moved to compensate from behind her and found herself wrapped up by two sets of near invisible ninja wire.

"_**Ninpo: **__**Sōshuriken no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shuriken Manipulation Jutsu)**_!" Tenten exclaimed as the steam cleared.

Sasuke stood with a smirk, with the wire held between his teeth as he made another set of handsigns. "_**Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!)**_" He hissed, sending a wave of searing flames down the wire to engulf Naruko.

Kiba, meanwhile, was swearing like a sailor in the background as he was trapped in the mire of foamy bubbles that Naruko had created, as was Akamaru.

"Hokage-sama, he was aiming to kill her there." Anko said dangerously. She clutched a kunai in one hand tightly as she watched her lover fight.

"Indeed." Sarutobi said with narrowed eyes, "Fortunately, Naruko avoided it completely."

"Teme, you really _do_ have a grudge against logs don't you?" Naruko said as she strolled out of the trees to Sasuke's left. The Last Uchiha let his jutsu end and, once again, a charred log was in Naruko's place. It was, in matter of fact, the same log she had used the last time.

"How? Your hands were bound!" Sasuke snarled.

"One of my pet projects has been to master the _**Kawarimi no Jutsu **_to the point that I can use it seallessly." Naruko replied calmly, "As you can see, I mastered it, not two days ago in fact. Lucky for me, eh? -dattebayo."

Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "I refuse to lose to the likes of you." he snarled.

"Tough luck, Teme, cause that's _exactly_ what is gonna happen." Naruko replied.

At some unspoken signal, the two began making handsigns as rapidly as they could.

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**_" "_**Katon: Takibi no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Bonfire Jutsu!)**_"

The two launched their jutsu at the same time, Sasuke's the large orange fireball of the Uchiha Clan's Coming of Age jutsu, while Naruko's was a deep crimson fireball that was slightly smaller than the _**Gōkakyū**_, but also shaped like a teardrop and seemed to sparkle as it erupted from Naruko's mouth.

When the two jutsu collided, they pressed against each other, almost seeming alive as they attempted to overwhelm the other jutsu. Naruko's started to push Sasuke's back slightly, and then Sasuke's regained its ground and pushed Naruko's back.

The struggle carried on for about a minute, before Sarutobi smiled slightly. "This match will go to Naruko." He said knowingly.

"Sasuke will be far too tired and low on chakra to continue fighting after his jutsu is defeated." he explained to the few people that showed incomprehension.

As if his words had triggered it, the _**Gōkakyū**_ abruptly shrank in size slightly, before being pushed back a good foot. Eyes wide, Sasuke cut the flow of chakra to his jutsu and leapt away barely in time to avoid the _**Takibi**_ impacting upon his previous location and bursting into five foot high flames.

Sasuke scowled at Naruko from where he landed in a crouch and attempted to stand up, but found he could not stand.

'_My chakra…! I've used it all!_' Sasuke realised in shock.

"This match is over!" The Hokage declared, "The winner is Uzumaki Naruko!"

Sasuke burned with shame and anger at being beaten by the lowest ranked member of his graduating class. He vowed never to let this humiliation happen again.

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**Timeskip - Ten minutes later**

Sakura flinched as she regained consciousness and all the pain of her body clamoured for her attention, evoking a groan from her.

"Sakura-chan?" a familiar voice called to her from a few feet away, "Ah, you have come around. Sorry about that."

"N-Naru…ko?" Sakura muttered as she cranked an eye open to see her surroundings. She was still in the clearing, but her head was laid on a cushion and her body didn't ache nearly as badly as he would have thought, considering the beating her friend had dealt to her.

Sitting not three paces away was Naruko. She was relaxed and unruffled as if she were sitting in a café or bistro rather than on the ground of a Training Field after an arduous and taxing spar. Hell, she didn't even look like she was remotely tired.

Sakura sat up abruptly, only to be struck by a wave of dizziness. A pair of hands grabbed her shoulders and steadied her.

"Whoa, easy there, Sakura-chan." Naruko said as she held the pinkette's thin shoulders, "Man, you need to eat more. I bet I could pick you up with a single arm."

"Don't you dare." Sakura threatened her darkly, merely making Naruko chuckle.

"Well then, Sakura, you'd better get on with it." Naruko said as she released her grip on Sakura.

"What?" Sakura asked blankly.

"Slapping me." Naruko replied, "I went too far when I knocked you out, so feel free."

Sakura stared at her friend for a moment before sighing and shaking her head. "Naruko, you haven't changed since we were little, have you?" she asked rhetorically. In her mind, she could see a little girl in a blue skirt and white t-shirt, with shoulder length blond hair and deep blue eyes, apologising for bumping into her on the way to the slide one day at the playground.

"I guess." Naruko replied with a shrug.

"I'm the one who has to apologise." Sakura said, "I shouldn't have used that genjutsu on you."

"It's alright." Naruko told her, "Besides, knocking you out was better than what I had planned on doing to you."

"Which was?" Sakura asked warily.

"_**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu**_." Naruko replied.

"Oh, that? I think Kakashi-sensei used that on Sasuke-kun during our genin test." Sakura remarked, "Good thing you didn't use it on me, I _would_ have clocked you one for that."

"See why I'm kinda glad I didn't have to do it?" Naruko replied with a wide grin.

"Yeah…hey, where is everyone? And how did the match go?" Sakura asked, realising that she and Naruko were alone in the field.

"At another clearing." Naruko replied, "I volunteered to tend to you until you came to. As for the match, it was my victory."

"You…beat both Kiba _and _Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked disbelievingly. Kiba, she could believe, but Sasuke-kun was Rookie of the Year!

"Yep. I'm just that awesome -dattebayo!" Naruko grinned as she helped Sakura to her feet.

"B…But..._how_?" Sakura asked as she followed her friend through the trees at an easy walk.

"I used a Suiton Jutsu to immobilise Kiba and Akamaru." Naruko replied, "As for Sasuke-teme, I made him run out of chakra. Not surprised he ran out of juice, he used four C-Rank Katon Jutsu in the space of twenty minutes."

Sakura shook her head slowly, "How the hell did you graduate last?"

"Too much chakra to make less than thirty ordinary _**Bunshin**_." Naruko replied, "No-one suggested that I had more chakra than normal, so I didn't think of creating more than three clones. Plus, with so much chakra, my control was -still is- abysmal, so I had no chance."

"But...didn't Hokage-sama tell the staff about your chakra?" Sakura asked, confused.

"He didn't think to tell them." Naruko replied, "He didn't know that my Clan's History was illegally removed from the curriculum, so no-one knew about the high chakra reserves of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Aaarrgh." Sakura gave a small scream and pulled her hair lightly in irritation, "I don't suppose you could give me that missing part of the classes?"

She had asked more out of irritation than expectation, but Naruko unsealed a scroll from a storage seal on a wristband she wore underneath her left coat sleeve and handed it to her.

"This contains the relevant missing sections of our lessons." Naruko said with a smile. Seeing Sakura's surprise, Naruko explained, "I knew you'd want to read the part of Konoha's history that was deliberately omitted from the curriculum, so I had Ji-chan have this made for you."

Sakura was touched that Naruko had been so thoughtful as to remember her love of history. "That you, Naruko-chan." she said with a smile.

Naruko smiled back at her pink-haired friend and continued on walking. A few minutes later, the two genin-kunoichi came to another clearing where a small picnic was underway.

"Ah Naruko-chan, Sakura-chan." the Hokage greeted them from his seat on a rock, "Have a seat and tuck in before everything's gone."

Hastily, Sakura and Naruko sat down at the open space next to Ino and helped themselves to some of the excellent food arrayed before them.

Opposite them, a sulky looking Sasuke sat and chomped away at a large salad with a rather large amount of tomatoes, his favourite food. Next to him, Akamaru was happily eating a bowl of rare steak and Kiba was adding some Karaage to his plate.

Shikamaru wasn't eating, evidently finding picnics troublesome, and was snoozing under a nearby tree. Choji was eating with such speed that no one could see what he was eating. Shino was rather daintily eating some dango alongside Anko.

Tenten grinned and nodded at Naruko when she arrived before biting into a sandwich. Neji contented himself with sipping at a cup of sencha, while Lee was adding some sushi to his plate.

Ino was eating more than usual, thanks to some serious talks she had had with Kurenai and Anko two weeks ago, and she was far more energetic in training as a result. Hinata was eating a cinnamon bun with great enjoyment.

Ami and her flunkeys were eating some crisps from what Naruko could see and were steadfastly ignoring Naruko.

The rest of the Jonin were sipping at some sake, although Kakashi was never seen to actually drink any.

Eventually, the food was consumed and everyone was sitting in (relative) contentment. The Sandaime cleared his throat as he turned to Naruko.

"Ahem. Now, regarding the match. Naruko, what did you do wrong?" he asked her, to everyone's surprise.

Naruko sighed. "Firstly, I let the opposing team set the pace for almost the entire battle, thus forfeited the initiative.

Secondly, I lost control of my temper after being subjected to that genjutsu.

Thirdly, I became complacent and arrogant after defeating Sakura and Kiba, thus allowing Sasuke to lend an attack combination that could have dealt serious damage to me had I not mastered the _**Kawarimi no Jutsu **_to the point of not needing seals.

Finally, I let pride get in the way and chose to match Sasuke fire jutsu for fire jutsu, rather than dodge and defeat him in close combat."

Sarutobi nodded. "All valid and true. Now, what did your opponents do wrong?" he asked.

Naruko threw an apologetic glance to Sakura before she spoke, "They attacked separately, rather than as a team. They could have defeated me if they had co-ordinated their attacks, but they didn't."

Kakashi looked indignant at this, but was hushed before he could speak.

"They were also too specialised," Naruko continued, "Kiba only used taijutsu, albeit enhanced with his Clan's nin-taijutsu bent, Sasuke used a style that he can't use to it's fullest extent because it requires an active _**Sharingan**_ and, other than a few exceptions, only used ninjutsu, while Sakura-chan only used genjutsu and the _**Hakage**_ style.

Because of their disparity in skills, I was able to defeat Kiba and Sakura with skills that countered their own. It was only because I cannot use genjutsu that I did not defeat Sasuke similarly."

Sarutobi nodded gravely. "Are those the only mistakes they made?" he asked her.

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Naruko said firmly. A small conversation seemed to pass between the two as they locked gazes, but Sarutobi eventually sighed and nodded.

"Very well then." Sarutobi turned to Kakashi, "Well Kakashi, it seems you won't be removed as Team 7's Jonin-sensei after all, although I hereby order you to improve their teamwork and broaden their skills, so they are not defeated in detail as they were today."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kakashi bowed slightly in gratitude.

"As for you, Naruko-chan, here is your payment for a B-Rank mission completed with distinction." Sarutobi said genially as he passed her a couple of scrolls.

"Arigato, Ji-chan!" Naruko beamed at her grandfather figure. Today rocked! She got more jutsu scrolls and got to beat up Sasuke-teme!

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**Timeskip - Three Hours Later**

**Dining Room, Uzumaki Clan Estate**

"So, what was your reward for completing the mission, Gaki?" Anko asked curiously. Team 8 was sat around the table and eating a special treat that Naruko had splurged on: Momiji-Nabe (Venison Nabe). The hotpot was full to the brim with venison, burdock, shiitake mushrooms, negi, konnyaku, tofu and a few green vegetables, all cooked in a miso broth.

Anko had outdone herself with the cooking here and Naruko planned to give her a surprise when they next had on of their 'private lessons' as a thank you.

"Do you remember two years ago, three Taki kunoichi were turned in for interrogation by Kakashi-sensei?" Naruko asked.

"Oh yeah, those three." Anko shrugged, "Meh, they squealed like pigs after a few minutes. What about them?"

"They were caught after they tried to kill Iruka-sensei and me." Naruko replied, "Anyway, they used two interesting jutsu: _**Katon Renkeijutsu: Karura (Fire Style Synergy Jutsu: Garuda)**_ and _**Ninpo: Gen'ei Tajū Shuriken no Jutsu**_ _**(Ninja Art: Multiple Phantom Shuriken Jutsu)**_.

Ji-chan gave those to me, along with three other jutsu: _**Doton: Doro Kawara no Jutsu (Earth Style: Mud Tile Jutsu)**_, _**Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Tile Shuriken Jutsu)**_ and _**Ninpo: Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu)**_."

"I know of the two jutsu the kunoichi used." Kurenai said with a frown, "They're collaboration jutsu, meant to be used by multiple users."

"The beauty of Shadow Clones." Naruko said beatifically.

"Man, imagine using _both_ of those Shuriken replication jutsu at the same time!" Anko said, drooling slightly at the thought.

"Whereas I'm still working on mastering _**Katon: Endan**_." Ino said, slightly depressed. She and Hinata had mastered _**Teppōdama**_ last week, and had moved on to their other element. Ino was learning _**Endan**_, while Hinata was working on _**Futon: Reppūshō**_, with varying degrees of success.

"Aw, c'mon Ino-chan." Naruko said encouragingly, "You and Hinata mastered _**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu**_ in a few days. _That_ was impressive.__And something I'll never be able to do."

"Naru-chan here's right." Anko said as she tousled Naruko's hair, to the blonds' vocal objections, "Each of you have your strengths and weaknesses. Gaki here can't use genjutsu at all; Flower Girl over there has pretty small stamina reserves, while the quiet one there needs a kick in the pants to be aggressive."

Ino glared half-heartedly at Anko but was forced to concede the point. She was in OK physical condition, but nothing to write home about. She got tired far too quickly for a kunoichi, so she was doing physical exercise drills in training, when not practicing her ninjutsu.

Hinata had received a priceless gift from her father three weeks ago: the altered version of the _**Juken**_ created by her mother, the _**Jūho**_, and had thrown herself into learning and mastering it. The results had been…impressive, to say the least. The _**Jūho**_ katas fit her in a way the _**Juken **_never had and, for the first time in her life, Hinata actually excelled at her taijutsu, steadily and swiftly mastering each kata and stance before advancing to the next.

Naruko had been helping her by making a small army of Shadow Clones to act as living test dummies for her. Hyuuga Kō, Hinata's personal bodyguard when she was younger, watched his mistress's progress with a critical eye, but had told Kurenai in confidence that she was already at the level where she would be taught the _**Hakke Sanjūni Shō**_, which she already knew.

"Enough serious talk!" Anko said firmly, "This is a party to celebrate both Naru-chan here's victory over _Baka_shi's Team _and_ Nai-chan's apartment getting fixed up from that flooding damage a month ago!"

"The landlord evicted the man responsible." Kurenai mused, "He was _not_ happy."

"I'll bet." Ino snorted, "Why'd it take so long to fix up anyway?"

"I took the opportunity to have a few minor repairs I had been putting off done, as well as having the place repainted." Kurenai told her.

"Hey, Hinata! No poaching the meat!" Anko protested.

"F-First come, first s-served, Anko-sensei." Hinata replied.

"Grrr!"

"Oh boy." Kurenai muttered as Anko squabbled with the Hyuuga Heiress over the delectable well-cooked venison, "I can't wait to move back out again."

'_Neither can I._' Anko and Naruko thought simultaneously. They had been forced to limit their nightly trysts with each other and the new guards to the weekend, when the Hokage obligingly sent Kurenai out on an A-Rank mission that suited her and Hinata and Ino returned to their respective Clans for training and to fulfil their responsibilities as the heiresses.

With Kurenai _gone_ however, Naruko and Anko could get in some nightly practice thanks to some useful Silencing Seals and Byakugan Obscuring Seals Naruko had found in her studies of her family library.

Yes, Naruko had graduated from calligraphy practice with Iruka to careful creation of Storage Seals and Explosive Tags. After a few minor accidents (read: premature detonations and destroyed practice sealing items), Sarutobi had approved her qualifications as a beginner-level Seal Master and immediately put in a standing order of seventy Explosive Tags a month.

From there, she had focussed on getting her first order done and then studying her family scrolls for more seals that might be useful. Several caught her eye, but the one that her Ji-chan wanted was still beyond her abilities for the moment, so she needed to find seals that would allow her to practice more complicated seals and didn't have nasty consequences if they went wrong.

Fortunately, these two seals fit both criteria and Naruko had begun practicing them a week ago in secret, and was almost ready to attempt a live practice with chakra-infused ink.

Once she had perfected the seals, Naruko knew she would be _really_ enjoying her nights.

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**Same Time**

**Hokage's Office**

Sarutobi frowned as he reviewed the mission request in front of him. It was a C-Rank Mission Request from a village in the far south of Hi no Kuni, Morimura, requesting a team to locate and rescue some kidnapped villagers and deal with whomsoever was kidnapping them, presumed to be bandits.

This was not an unusual request. Sarutobi had issued hundreds of similar missions to genin teams over the years. Something about this particular location, however, bothered him.

The area where Morimura was located was deep in a forest, not in itself unusual in Hi no Kuni, but this forest had a bad reputation. Starting about five years ago, mysterious disappearances had begun being reported by the villages on the outskirts of the forest. A squad of the Fire Daimyo's samurai had gone missing after being seen entering the forest.

Even some ninja had gone missing in or around that forest. A chunin team had vanished in the area two years ago and no one could find a single trace of them. Either they had gone Nuke-nin with stealth skills equivalent to Uchiha Itachi's, or they had been abducted by someone skilled enough to both overpower the four chunin in an ambush/straight out fight _and_ thoroughly erase any trace of the battle and the presence of the chunin.

Very troubling.

The Sandaime Hokage was not a person given to flights of fancy. Nor did he like it when his ninja were kidnapped and possibly killed. This area _had_ to be investigated, but he couldn't storm in like a bull in a china shop. The best plan would be to use this mission request as a cover and have them shadowed by a team or two of ANBU.

Which begged the question, which team to use? Team 7 was out. Sasuke wouldn't know subtlety if it poked him in the eye and Kiba was just…no, not suitable for this mission.

Team 9, or Team Gai as most people called them, was not suited either. Both Gai and his doppelganger Rock Lee stood out too much and Neji was…unsociable to put it politely.

Team 10 was…not ready yet. Granted, Shikamaru was a genius in a Clan of geniuses and Shino was no slouch either. Choji would no doubt follow his childhood friend's lead in matters. The problem was they lacked the edge that was required to make this mission a success.

This left…Team 8. Two experienced Jonin-level kunoichi, a Hyuuga to warn of ambushes and locate the kidnapped people, a Yamanaka to interrogate anyone they found and Uzumaki Naruko to act as the shield of the team with her one-woman army of Shadow Clones.

Sarutobi sighed and massaged his temples. '_Buck up, Sarutobi!_' he chided himself, '_You knew that you'd have to send her into danger sooner or later once she became a ninja!_'

He was having a hard time following his own advice. He had spent the last twelve years doing his utmost to try to protect Naruko and old habits died hard.

'_She'll be fine._' he tried to convince himself, '_I'll have her team shadowed by two teams of ANBU. Besides, Naruko has gotten stronger than I would have thought possible. She will not allow her team to be harmed and vice versa._'

Sarutobi reached for the sake. He found himself in accord with his only female student at the moment. Sometimes, you had to get absolutely smashed in order to get over things, and this was very high quality sake, so he estimated total inebriation in twenty minutes if he paced himself.

He really hated his job. He just had to hope he was making the correct decision.

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**Next Chapter: C-Rank to Morimura**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any jutsu with it's name Emboldened is one I have made.**

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Kaze Shunshin - Wind Body Flicker

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary_

Effect: _A variant of the basic Shunshin no Jutsu that uses wind to obscure the movement during the departure and arrival of the user. Rarely used as very few shinobi can create enough wind to completely obscure themselves without using far too much chakra._

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Bōju Ken - Intercepting Fist

Rank: N/A

Type: _Taijutsu Style, Offensive/Defensive_

Effect: _The Clan Taijutsu Style of the Uchiha Clan. Designed to be used with their active Dōjutsu, the Sharingan, this style basically holds the enemy at b ay long enough for the user to use their Sharingan's copying ability to copy their opponent's taijutsu style and use it against them._

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Jūjin Taijutsu - Beast-Human Taijutsu

Rank: N/A

Type: _Taijutsu Style, Offensive_

Effect: _The Clan Taijutsu Style of the Inuzuka Clan. Designed to mimic the biting and scratching of a feral beast, this style can be enhanced greatly by fighting alongside a ninken partner. Based around rapid hit-and-run attacks, leaving the enemy unable to counterattack._

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Gijū Ninpō: Shikyaku no Jutsu - Beast Mimicry Ninja Art: Four Legs Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary, Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Inuzuka Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A jutsu designed to enhance the fighting style of the user. This jutsu grants animal-like reflexes and speed to the user by enveloping the user's body with chakra. A side effect is that the user's appearance becomes more feral when this jutsu is in use, often useful for intimidation._

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**Ushio-Ken: Engetsugeri - Tide-Fist Style: Circle Moon Kick**

Rank: C

Type: _Taijutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user, whilst in midair, uses the spinning principle of the Inuzuka's Tsūga Jutsu in order to rapidly rotate in place, increasing the force of the resulting kicks by adding centrifugal force to the user's own muscle strength._

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Henge no Jutsu - Transformation Jutsu

Rank: E

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _An Academy-level Jutsu that creates an illusion that alters the user's appearance. A single half-decent hit can dispel this jutsu though. Widely used for infiltration and subterfuge missions._

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Gijū Ninpō: Jūjin Bunshin no Jutsu - Beast Imitation Ninja Art: Beast Clone Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Inuzuka Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A combination of the Bunshin no Jutsu and the Henge no jutsu used by the Inuzuka Clan. This Jutsu transforms the user's ninken partner in an exact, albeit feral, duplicate of the user. If the user is also using the Shikyaku no Jutsu as well, the two are indistinguishable due to both appearing feral. Required for the stronger Taijutsu attacks of the Inuzuka Clan._

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Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatsūga - Man-Beast Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: Fang Over Fang

Rank: C

Type: _Collaboration Jutsu, Taijutsu, Inuzuka Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A double version of the basic Tsūga. This jutsu requires the user to co-operate with their ninken partner in order to batter the enemy with twinned tornados of bestial attacks strong enough to drill through stone._

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Raiton: Jibashi - Lightning Style: Earth Flash

Rank: Varies

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user unleashes a wave of lightning that arcs from their hands and strikes the enemy. The strength of the jutsu depends entirely on the user and can vary between a slight shock to numb an arm and a blast strong enough to rip through solid rock. Ideal for combination attack with a water jutsu._

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**Magen: ****Hametsunokyōi no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: Portent of Doom Jutsu**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A rather sadistic genjutsu developed in Numa no Kuni (Swamp Country); this jutsu uses the target's own imagination and fears against them and shows them what they would consider to be the absolute worst outcome of the current fight to be. Extremely traumatising, this jutsu was copied by ANBU Captain Hatake Kakashi after he used his Sharingan to defeat it._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Ushio-Ken: ****Takashio Shōtotsu - Tide-Fist Style: Storm Surge Collision**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Taijutsu_

Effect: _A brutal attack relying on purely physical abilities. The user batters the target with a relentless stream of punches, as if the target were caught by the hands of a violent storm. The user then deals the final blow, a simple straight kick, to send the target flying away from them._

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Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatenga - Man-Beast Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: Fang Rotating Fang

Rank: High-C

Type: _Collaboration Jutsu, Taijutsu_

Effect: _The second __Ōgi in the Inuzuka arsenal, the Gatenga is the collaboration version of the Tenga. Both the user and his ninken partner spin into a pair of buzz saws that can cut though steel._

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Suiton: Hōmatsu Rappa no Jutsu - Water Style: Foam Scattered Waves Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _The user spits out large waves of foamy bubbles that are extremely slippery and reduce friction on anything they touch. Very effective at countering Katon Jutsu._

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Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu - Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user spits out a volley of small fireballs towards the enemy. While it can cause damage, this jutsu is usually used as a distraction._

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Ninpo: Sōshuriken no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Shuriken Manipulation Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Shurikenjutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _By attaching a long, thin and elastic ninja wire to shuriken, the user can alter their flight path in mid-air. An experienced user of this jutsu can do so with the smallest twitch of a fingertip. With experience, the tactics one can perform with this Jutsu are almost endless._

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Katon: Ryūka no Jutsu - Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _The user breaths fire down a cord or wire connected to the target and engulfs him or her in flames. The flames are acting like a projectile weapon in this jutsu and move at a speed equivalent to a well-thrown shuriken._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Katon: Takibi no Jutsu - Fire Style: Bonfire Jutsu**

Rank: Mid-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user fires a compressed fireball shaped like a large teardrop at the enemy. The colour of the flame varies from user to user. The flames of this technique are very bright and are very hard to put out with water._

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	12. C-Rank to Morimura

**Author's Notes: Yo everyone. Here is the First Chapter in the Living Forest Demon Arc.**

**I have closed the poll and the result is…Kin will be Anko's Pet!**

**For those who might worry that Anko will abuse Kin or something, that won't happen. Kin will have a damn good reason for accepting a position under Anko (literally, in the bedroom…), so all will become clear.**

**Naruko will go strong in this chapter, but be brought down to earth next chapter. A humbling experience is good for the soul.**

**Enough from me, on with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not my creation.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 12: C-Rank to Morimura**

**Timeskip - The Next Day, 09.00 am**

**Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower**

"Team 8, reporting for duty." Kurenai said crisply. Behind her, Anko and the genin stood at lax attention, anticipating another day of boring D-Rank missions.

"Ah, good to see you here." Sarutobi replied warmly as he leaned on his desk, "Ready to receive a mission?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Kurenai replied.

"Hmmm…let's see…" Sarutobi muttered, "Team 8. Completed Missions: 44 D-Rank. Failed Missions: 1 D-Rank, blame assigned to the client for his belligerent and confrontational behaviour. A most impressive record for a genin team barely a month out of the Academy."

The genin blushed slightly at the compliment paid to them by the Hokage. Anko just grinned.

"Yeah, our gaki's are the best rookies in Konoha." the Snake Mistress said confidently.

"Oh?" Sarutobi said, "In which case…Kurenai-kun, do you feel that your team is ready for a C-Rank?"

Kurenai's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but gave the question serious consideration. Naruko was definitely ready, no questions. Hinata was coming along nicely as well. As for Ino, a brief dose of how the world worked outside of the walls of Konoha might be just the thing she needed to snap her out of her Fangirlism finally.

She glanced briefly at Anko, who gave her a quick thumbs up. Evidently, her friend wanted the kids to do something other than chores.

She then looked at her genin. Naruko was practically vibrating in place with anticipation, little surprise there. Hinata was looking slightly worried but also looked curious as to what the mission might be. Ino just looked hopeful for the possibility of getting away from D-Ranks for a while.

"Yes, I believe that my team are ready for a C-Rank." she replied firmly as she turned back to the Hokage.

"Good, good. This was the mission I had in mind for you. Over the last two months, over twenty people, men, women and children, have disappeared form a village in the south of Hi no Kuni called Morimura." Sarutobi told them solemnly, "Your mission is to investigate the area, locate the missing people and recover them. Understood?"

"Hai!" Team 8 responded instantly.

"Very good." Sarutobi smiled at the genin, "Now, I have to brief Kurenai-kun and Anko-kun on the local contacts and the client, so while I do that, head back to you home and prepare for a two week long C-Rank mission. Be at the Front Gate in an hour."

"Gotcha Ji-chan." Naruko nodded and led the way out the door, swiftly followed by Hinata and Ino.

Once the genin left, Sarutobi dropped his grandfatherly expression and became serious.

"As you might have guessed, this is no ordinary, C-Rank." He told the two Jonin in front of him, "its actual rank is likely to be at least Mid-B, possibly even High-A."

"Damn." Anko whistled, "What's gotten you so ruffled that you'd use a genin team as bait, old man?"

Sarutobi stifled a smile. One reason why he liked Anko so much was her indifference to rank and titles. It was just as refreshing to hear as Naruko calling him 'Ji-chan'.

"Over the last five years, there have been numerous disappearances in that area, ranging from individual civilians and the occasional group of bandits, to a group of the Daimyo's Samurai and even a four man squad of Konoha chunin." Sarutobi explained, "This latest report from Morimura is the last straw. People getting taken as they travel is one thing, but the report from the Elder of Morimura says that these latest missing villagers were taken from their own homes while they slept."

"Any signs of a struggle?" Kurenai asked with narrowed eyes.

"No, which greatly concerns me." Sarutobi replied, "All the doors were locked tight and dead bolted, all windows were locked and unbroken and there were no holes in the walls, floors or the roof. All this evidence points to shinobi involvement, High chunin level at least."

"Are there any reports of Nuke-nin in the area?" Anko asked in a quietly dangerous voice.

"None, which is unusual." replied Sarutobi, "An area such as Morimura -quiet, isolated and well hidden in the centre of a forest- would usually be the perfect place for a band of Nuke-nin to set up camp. There are, however, local Ninja Clans, which might explain that."

Anko and Kurenai both raised their eyebrows. Ninja Clans unaligned with a Hidden Village were very rare in the Five Great Shinobi Nations these days. After the founding of Konohagakure and the defeat of Madara, the Shodaime Hokage had extended an invitation to every Clan in Hi no Kuni to join the Senju and Uchiha in building and growing the new village.

The Inuzuka, the Aburame, the Hyuuga, the Kurama, the Yamanaka, the Nara, the Akimichi…countless clans had joined Konoha in the early days. Only the most arrogant, prideful and foolish had refused. Most of the most warlike of those Clans had met similar fates to that of the Kaguya Clan of Mizu no Kuni, slaughtered to the last man.

Others had died out, either through line extinction or from disease. A select few had joined Konoha after its initial intake of Clans, such as the Toji Clan. The rest were mostly forgotten about as they retreated to their hidden strongholds, rarely venturing out into a world that had passed them by.

"How many are there?" Kurenai asked.

"From an old report, there are four Clans each in a different direction from the village." The Hokage replied, "The Yanagi Clan to the South, the Momiji Clan to the East, and the Kashi Clan to the North and the Kaba Clan to the West. Of course this report is ten year out of date, so it's a coin flip as to whether they are still there or not."

"Willow, Maple, Oak and Birch?" Anko asked with a snort of laughter.

"Apparently, the area around Morimura is a long contested area between those four Clans." Sarutobi said, "Much like the Uchiha, Senju, Hyuuga and Uzumaki are all descended from the same ancestor, these four Clans are descended from a single progenitor also, called Morisato Kazenotsuchi.

After his death, his four sons squabbled over who would inherit his land and power. The Eldest was a flexible character and tried to mediate amongst his siblings to no avail. He became the first head of the Yanagi Clan.

The next-oldest brother was warlike, and desired his father's power for his own ends and ambitions. He became the first Head of the Momiji Clan.

The second youngest was inflexible and rigid in his beliefs, thinking himself superior to all others, and he became the first Head of the Kashi Clan.

Finally, the youngest brother wished the eldest to become the successor to their father, as his last wishes indicated. He became the first Head of the Kaba Clan.

To this day, they continue to fight, each determined to prove themselves to be the true inheritor of their great ancestor's land and will."

Kurenai looked thoughtful. "Could these Ninja Clans have anything to do with the disappearances?" she mused aloud.

"It's within the realms of possibility. I could name several dangerous and powerful Kinjutsu that would require human sacrifices in order to activate." Sarutobi said grimly, "Of those, a good half a dozen require a gradual awakening, starting with sacrifices containing very little chakra and progressing to those who have an abundance of chakra…such as trained ninja."

"So there's a possibility that we are being lured in as sacrifices to be used in some unknown Kinjutsu? Brilliant." Kurenai sighed.

"You will not be going in alone." Sarutobi assured her grimly, "I will be sending two teams of ANBU along with you. They will be shadowing you and ensuring that neither you nor your team comes to any harm, in addition to investigating the area thoroughly."

Kurenai relaxed somewhat. Not much could get past two teams of ANBU, even on a bad day.

"Who's leading the teams?" Anko asked curiously.

"Neko (Cat) is leading Team 1 -Inu, Nezumi (Rat) and Usagi (Rabbit), while Saru (Monkey) is leading Team 2 -Ushi (Cow), Ryu (Dragon) and Ondori (Rooster)." Sarutobi replied.

"What if we need backup?" Kurenai asked.

"Anko-chan here can send a summon to inform me of any developments." Sarutobi said, before he paused, "Actually, while you're travelling Anko-chan, I'd appreciate it if you could teach Naruko-chan the _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**_ as a backup measure."

"Eh?" Anko appeared startled, "The Gaki's signed a Summoning Contract?"

"Ah, so she obeyed my order to keep it a secret." Sarutobi chuckled, "It's the second ability of that gauntlet of hers. Anyone who wears it is automatically a Summoner of the Monkey Clan, even without signing the Contract."

"…" Anko stared at the Hokage for a moment, "That's some graduation present you gave the gaki, old man."

"I merely thought it would be appropriate." Sarutobi chuckled, "By the way, what weapons has she offered to the gauntlet thus far?"

"Eh? Lesse…" Anko said thoughtfully, "The Bō Staff, Katana and Tantō are the ones I know about. She's planning on adding an Fūma Shuriken as soon as she finds one of sufficiently high quality."

The Snake Mistress chuckled as she remembered Naruko's face two weeks ago, when she couldn't get into the Toji Clan's Armoury. She had gone comfort shopping later on, bought a beautifully made, razor sharp Tantō, and then fed it to the gauntlet.

Anko hadn't been sure that a 12 inch knife was an appropriate weapon to add to the En'ō Kago-te, but had conceded that having a weapon that small that was also nigh indestructible could be more than slightly useful in the right circumstances.

"Hmmm…Has she made any attempt to learn a Bōjutsu style?" Sarutobi asked.

"She's been looking in the Uzu Archives, but thus far has only found a couple of Hanbō (Half-Bō) styles and one Jō staff style." Anko replied.

"Well, that won't do." Sarutobi said, "Not all that surprising really. The Uzumaki were the best swordsmen in the world, so I'd imagine most of the Bukijutsu styles in the Archive are ones to do with bladed weapons. I'll find a style for her from the Sarutobi Library for when she gets back."

"Hokage-sama, you seem to be giving Genin Uzumaki a lot of help." Kurenai said carefully.

"I suppose it looks like that, but all I am doing is redressing an imbalance." Sarutobi replied, "Had Kushina-chan survived the Day of the Kyuubi, Naruko would have been brought up as the Heiress of a Clan, rather than an orphan. She would have been taught everything she knows now, and more besides. In addition, I have been most remiss in my stewardship of her over the years and she has suffered tremendously."

"Hokage-sama, I understand that, but at this rate, she will demoralise the other genin with her progress and arsenal of jutsu." Kurenai pointed out, "Not to mention the reaction that the Civilian Council is likely to have to you showing so much favour to a single genin, especially Naruko."

"First, the council can take a long walk off of a high cliff. Second, all the jutsu I have given her have been in lieu of monetary rewards for completed missions. Thirdly, she has stated on several occasions that she is willing to give help to her teammates, and indeed her other friends among her graduating class, by giving them Taijutsu styles and jutsu." Sarutobi countered, "And finally, Naruko-chan has made a will bequeathing a fair few scrolls, and not inconsiderable portions of her funds, to most people she knows and likes…including the two of you."

Anko muttered a curse. "Dammit…damn gaki doing stuff like this without my permission…" she muttered darkly.

Kurenai was speechless for once. "I…" she began.

"We will discuss this another time." Sarutobi said impatiently, interrupting her. Kurenai was still a new Jonin, one not from a Clan and had little understanding of what such a position meant for someone growing up within one. The distilled history, traditions and honour of the Clan gradually shaped how the children of the Clan grew.

Naruko had been denied this growing up and a certain Sandaime Hokage was determined to ensure she received it all she needed to rectify the problem, and a bit of extra help for compensation, as soon as possible.

"You should get ready for the mission yourselves." Sarutobi told the two Kunoichi as he tossed a scroll to Anko, who caught it easily, "That scroll has maps, client details and the majority of the mission briefing for the C-Rank portion. Good luck."

Recognising the dismissal, the two Jonin bowed and left the room, leaving the Hokage to sigh as he once more began his never-ending fight with his immortal SSS-class enemy.

Paperwork.

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**Timeskip - Half an Hour Later**

**Konoha Front Gate**

"Grrrr!" Ino was growling in frustration as she paced back and forth. Hinata stood to one side, waiting quietly. Of Naruko, there was no sign.

Hence, Ino's impatient pacing.

"_Again_?! She's late AGAIN!?" Ino screeched in fury, "This makes it the third time this _week_!"

"W-well…Naruko-chan _does_ have to let the guards know not to let anyone in w-while we're gone." Hinata opined, "A-And she did tell me before we split up that she was going to Tenten-sempai's family shop to buy some more shuriken and kunai, s-so maybe there's a long line."

"As a matter of fact, there was." Naruko said as she appeared in a basic _**Shunshin**_, "But I also stocked up on bandages and some antivenin for you two. The southern part of Hi no Kuni has some nasty snakes."

"Oh…" Ino was slightly taken aback. She had been getting supplies to help them? Now she felt bad for being angry with her.

"I also had to stop by the Compound and grab a scroll." Naruko said proffering one in Ino's direction, "My clones finally found a taijutsu style that will suit Ino-chan to a T."

Ino eagerly took the scroll and looked at the title. "_**Hanabira no Mai (Dance of the Flower Petals)**_" she read.

"This…had _better_ not be a trick or a prank to play off of Anko-sensei's nickname for me." Ino warned her fellow blond.

"Ino-chan, I wouldn't play such a mean prank on you!" Naruko said reproachfully, "See, it used to belong to a small Clan from Uzu called the Utahana Clan. They specialised in using plant-derived jutsu and this was their Taijutsu style. You have a very flexible body, Ino-chan, like a dancer. And that's what this style is all about, increasing the flexibility of the user's body and using it to dance around the opponent like a flower petal caught by the wind."

Ino and Hinata stared at Naruko in astonishment. "Naruko-chan…that was a very poetic way of putting it." Ino said at last.

"I-It was." Hinata agreed.

"R-Really?" Naruko blushed a bit, "It just…made sense to put it like that. I skimmed over the exercises and they seem fairly simple and not too strenuous. There are a couple you can practice while we move, for the arms at least."

Ino hugged her friend hard and, for some reason, impulsively kissed her on the cheek, making Hinata's eyes widen in shock and Naruko instinctively returned the favour, which made the Hyuuga Heiress faint at the sight.

"Hinata-chan?!" Naruko yelped in shock as she raced over to catch her friend before she hit the ground.

Ino was standing rock still, frozen in shock after Naruko's kiss on her cheek. '_I…just _kissed_ her out of the blue…and she kissed me _back_! Kami, what the _hell's_ going on with me?!_' she thought in a small panic.

Anko had been watching the entire thing from a nearby rooftop, along with a disapproving Kurenai.

"Heh…Hinata's got it bad." Anko chuckled, "And it looks like Flower Girl is developing a small crush on Naruko as well, though she doesn't seem to realise it yet. Things are getting _really_ interesting on this team."

"I don't approve." Kurenai said frostily.

"Nai-chan, they don't need your approval. Nor will they care about how you feel about lesbians and bisexuals once they wake up to how they actually feel." Anko said flatly, "You _really_ need to get laid. How about I lock you and Asuma in a broom closet when we get back?"

"Anko!" Kurenai said, shocked at how her friend was deliberately poking fun at her sort-of relationship with the son of the Third Hokage.

"Nai-chan, it's getting ridiculous between you two." Anko told her bluntly, "You like him, he likes you. Yet you two act like damned Academy students on their first date _all the damn time_. If you keep dithering around like this, a more aggressive woman will swoop in at take him from you."

"Like hell!" Kurenai snapped, her red eyes flashing angrily at the suggestion.

Anko shrugged. "It's a fact. Whether you want to believe it or not is up to you. Now let's gather up our genin and get on the road." she said as she vanished in a _**Konoha Shunshin**_ and reappearing down by the genin

Kurenai frowned before she also vanished in a puff of smoke. Anko was far too damned good at pushing her buttons, dammit.

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**Three Hours into the Journey**

"This is bizarre." Anko remarked in frustration as they stopped for a rest. She had been studying the scroll that listed the mission details.

"What is Anko-sensei?" Ino asked after she took a slug of water from a flask.

"The profiles of the people who have been kidnapped." Anko replied, "I've been studying them to try and see a pattern, but there is none. A middle-aged butcher, a wealthy spinster, a five-year-old boy, a rebellious teenaged girl…almost every age group and class in a small village is represented here. It's like they're just being taken at complete random."

Ino frowned now as well. "That _is_ odd." she said, "Daddy told me that the human mind is incapable of being truly random. There's always a pattern to this kind of thing."

Naruko looked over Anko's shoulder. "What if we're looking at the forest instead of the trees?" she asked.

"Huh?" Ino asked, dumbfounded.

"I mean, if you take the list as a whole, we can't see a pattern." Naruko explained, "Maybe if we break down the list by age and profession, a pattern will reveal itself."

"Worth a try." Anko remarked. After scanning the list of missing people again for a moment, she nodded.

"_Now_ there's a pattern." she said in a satisfied manner, "All the kids taken were either boys under the age of seven or girls under the age of ten. All the old people taken were approaching their mid-seventies. As for the teenagers, they were all over sixteen, but under nineteen. The final pattern is the working folks. None of them were over forty, but they were well past their late thirties."

Anko looked up to meet the grim eyes of Kurenai. "Going by this little discovery, there isn't a single band of kidnappers…there's _four_ of them."

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**Timeskip - Evening**

The group of kunoichi stopped for the night and set up camp. After completing her share of the camp chores, Ino decided to start learning her new Taijutsu style in the remaining light of the day.

The first thing about _**Hanabira no Mai**_ was that it relied on constant movement. The initial and most used form, the _**Hirahira Hanabira (Fluttering Petal)**_, was constant movement in order to avoid being static and easily attacked and to mislead and fool the opponent, leaving them open to counter attack.

The movement was in a constant triangular pattern, so it was actually fairly easy to do, but damn if it wasn't tiring. Ino did feel slightly silly dancing around like this, but it was a necessary step to learn the rest.

The _**Hirahira Hanabira **_also had a specific movement for the arms to go into whenever her feet were parallel, into a position similar to the Horse Stance. The scroll called this the '_**Hana Kōshi (Flower Lattice)**_' guard position.

She got Naruko, or rather a _clone _of Naruko, to help her correct her footing whenever she made a misstep. She had to commit this style to muscle memory in order for it to be effective. She was surprised at how easily it seemed to come to her. Naruko hadn't been kidding that this style would fit her to a T.

'_She must have studied the way I moved in both casual activities and during spars to find this style for me._' Ino thought as she repeated the _**Hirahira Hanabira **_yet again, making sure that her arms moved in a flexible, yet strong way when not in the _**Hana Kōshi **_position.

She wasn't sure how she felt about Naruko constantly watching her, but this style, from what she had gleaned from a quick skim of the scroll, was perfect for her, allowing her to make good use of her long and flexible legs as kicks made up the vast majority of the attacks in _**Hanabira no Mai**_.

'_I'll have to ask Naruko-chan about how she determined this style would fit me…then either kick her ass or buy her a new wardrobe as a thank her depending on the answer she gives._' Ino decided as she began the form yet again.

**With Hinata…**

Hinata flowed through an intermediate _**Jūho**_ kata with practiced ease, each movement precise and as close to perfect as she could get it. She smiled grimly as she recalled the looks of near apoplexy that the Clan Elders had had as her father presented the elaborately carved and lacquered cedar box filled with her mother's Taijutsu Style.

She remembered the words he had whispered to her as he gave them to her, '_Your mother would be so proud of you, as am I. Now, go and make us even prouder by mastering Hitomi's style._'

Her father, Hyuuga Hiashi, the coldest and most emotionless Hyuuga in the Clan, aside from the Elders themselves, had told her that he was _proud_ of her. That had been one of the _best_ days in Hinata's life, one she would remember fondly.

Laughing to herself about that one Elder who had actually fainted from outrage was a good reason for it as well.

"Well done, Hinata." Kurenai said approvingly. Hinata blushed at her praise. She considered Kurenai to be like a second mother after she had acted as her escort to and from the Academy when she was younger. She was one of Hinata's role models and to be praised by her was only slightly less faint inducing than being in extremely close proximity to Naruko.

"A-Arigato, Kurenai-sensei." Hinata replied with a tentative smile, "I'm just…suited for this style. I can't put it any other way."

"Sometimes, you find things that just click like that." Kurenai said wisely, "They don't come around often, but when they do, it's always a blessing."

"Hai." Hinata nodded, "I would also like to l-learn another genjutsu, i-if that is alright with you."

Kurenai smiled. "Of course. I think I might have just the one for you. _**Genjutsu: **__**Henkō Jikan (Illusion: Altered Time)**_."

**With Naruko…**

"Alright Gaki," Anko said, "The handsigns for the _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu **_are: Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey and Ram, after you have drawn blood."

Anko demonstrated it. She bit her thumb, weaved the five handsigns and slammed her hand on the ground.

"_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**_" she announced as a cloud of chakra smoke erupted from where Anko's hand had struck. After it cleared, a five-foot long purple snake was coiled there.

"Missstresss Anko." the snake hissed, "How may I sssserve you?"

"Just demonstrating the _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu **_to my student here, Serena." Anko replied as she gestured at Naruko.

The snake sniffed in the blonde's direction. "A faint trace of the monkey'sssss ssssscent." Serena hissed, "But not a proper Contract. What isss the meaning of thissss?"

Naruko revealed her gauntlet. "It's because of this gauntlet." she explained, "The Contract is with the gauntlet, rather than with me personally. I just get to make use of it."

Serena cocked her head to the side and advanced on Naruko. Naruko tensed slightly, but made no threatening moves towards the snake.

"Hmmm." the purple snake mused, "You are sssstrong. You would make a worthy Contactor, but I ssssenssssse that other Contracts are in your future. Both run strong in your blood, I can ssssmell them."

"There are? They do?" Naruko asked in surprise.

"Ahhhh…I _ssssee_." Serena hissed, "This sssscent isss familiar to me. You are Uzumaki Kushina'sssss daughter, are you not?"

"Y-Yes." Naruko replied.

"Then it isssss the Crow Contract that I ssssmell on you." Serena said with a hissing laughter, "The Uzumaki were the original holder'ssss of that contract, but the only sssssummoner of them now issss the Clan Killer, and he cannot ussssse the full power of the Contract asss he only sssssigned a partial Contract."

"Itachi-nii." Naruko muttered, "Do…do you know where the Crow Contract is currently located?"

"I do not." Serena replied, "The Sssssnake Clan and the Crow Clan do not mix. They are prey, we are the predatorssss. The Monkey Clan, however, should be able to act assss intermediariessss."

Naruko bowed. "Thank you for your help, Serena."

Serena gave another hissing laugh. "A polite human? How ssstrange the world becomesssss." she remarked before returning to her realm with a puff of smoke.

Anko shook her head in wonderment. "Naru-chan, you just scared the crap out of me. The Snakes take contracts _very_ seriously. If she hadn't liked what you said, she would have bitten you. And Serena's a Viper!"

"I'm resistant to poisons." Naruko deadpanned, "Besides, I…kinda liked Serena. She seems to be blunt and straightforward, but I also get the impression that she listens to everything people say and how they say it before making a judgement."

"True." Anko conceded, "That's Serena to a T. You ever consider working in T&amp;I?"

"Only if I have to." Naruko wrinkled her nose, "No offence, but my clones have to practically disinfect the whole Estate every time you come back from working there."

"Occupational hazard kid." Anko replied, "It's amazing what humans can become used to, from lousy jobs to pervading smells."

"I'd rather not have to deal with that regularly." Naruko remarked, "Besides, I like the outdoors. I used to do a bit of hunting when I was younger when the shop owners were being real teme's."

"…Remind me to have a word with Hokage-sama when we get back to Konoha, Naru-chan." Anko said quietly.

"Over and done with now, An-chan."

"Still gonna talk to him."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The Next Day, 12.00**

**Northern Forest Road Entrance, Morimura Area**

"Okay." Ino deadpanned as she gestured at the forest before them, "That really looks creepy."

She had a point. The trees on both sides of the road were gnarled oaks. They looked ancient and very, very creepy as they were stooped, discoloured and unhealthy looking, with very few leaves remaining on their unusually spindly branches. To each side of the road were stone boundary markers with the symbol of the Kashi Clan on them, the Kanji for oak, '**樫**' within a circle.

"These trees aren't normal." Naruko said firmly. She was visibly sweating and was far paler than she normally was. Hinata noticed this.

"N-Naruko-chan, are you alright? You look unwell." The bluenette asked softly.

"Eh? Oh, y-yeah." Naruko replied with a gulp, "It's just…these trees are giving me a funny feeling."

"Funny?" Anko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Like…like they're letting off an evil aura." Naruko said as she tried to put how she felt into words, "They aren't natural. Someone caused them to be like this and whatever they've done to them is making me feel nauseous."

Anko and Kurenai shared a glance. Very little actually phased Naruko, whether it be impending death from a rogue jonin or being chased by an angry mob of ANBU after one of her pranks, such as the legendary itching-powder-in-the-underwear incident, so for this forest to be bugging Naruko this much was cause for concern.

"Alright. Duly noted." Kurenai said with a frown, "Alright team, we are in possible bandit territory now, so Naruko and Hinata will take point, Ino and Anko behind them, with me bringing up the rear. Move out!"

"Hai!" the genin responded and moved into the formation Kurenai had ordered. With Hinata's _**Byakugan**_ and Naruko's nigh Inuzuka-level hearing as an early warning system on point, it was unlikely anyone could attack from the front. Anko and Ino could back them up in case of an attack and Kurenai used several minor auditory enhancement to make it so she could detect anything unusual as she took up the rear position.

Moving at a slow jog, Team 8 entered the forest and were swallowed by the gloom after only ten feet.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With ANBU Teams Neko and Saru…**

Ten meters behind Team 8, Uzuki Yūgao, aka ANBU member Neko, frowned behind her mask. She had heard what Naruko had said and agreed with her. There was no way a natural forest in fertile ground like this, in a region with frequent rainfall, should look like this.

Unless someone has been messing around with it.

"Neko-san, what should we do?" asked Inu.

Neko looked at the man incredulously, which was lost on him due to her mask. "We continue to follow them as ordered of course." she replied sharply.

"No I mean, the road has disappeared." Inu replied, pointing at where Team 8 had entered the forest. Neko swung around to see what he was blabbering about. Roads didn't just vanish….

…Like this one seemingly had. Neko stared. Where there had once been a dirt road for horse and cart, there was nothing except trees. The boundary stones were still there, but there were more of them. They seemed to be spaced a meter apart and the Clan symbol was glowing a sickly green colour. The air seemed to shimmer around them.

"…Shit." Neko cursed. A kekkai. It almost _had_ to be an incredibly powerful kekkai, albeit rather crudely done. She would be willing to bet that it only granted safe passage to those whom the user wanted and that any attempt to breach it would set off alarms that would swamp her two teams with enemies, and quite possibly cause the deaths of Team 8.

"Ryu, head back to Konoha at full speed and inform Hokage-sama about this development," Neko ordered briskly, "Saru, your team is to circumnavigate the forest. Try to find a hole in the kekkai and send word to me when and if you find one. The rest of my team will remain here and examine these boundary stones for clues on how to break or bypass the kekkai. Move out!"

In an instant, most of the ANBU vanished in a flash, leaving Neko, along with two others, staring at where their charges had vanished.

'_I really hope they are going to be alright in there._' Neko though with a sigh as she walked over to begin her examination of the stones, '_Otherwise Hokage-sama is going to have my hide for this._'

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Meanwhile, back with Team 8...**

"We're being watched." Naruko said softly. They were moving slightly faster

"Any sign of who's doing the watching?" Anko replied just as quietly.

"No, there's no-one within range of my _**Byakugan**_." Hinata answered for Naruko, "But that's…not important right now. These trees are filled with chakra, so much of it that it is impossible for me to see through them. Naruko-chan was right, these are _not_ natural trees."

"The _trees_ have _chakra_?" Ino asked disbelievingly as they rounded a bend, "That's not possible."

"It is actually." Anko corrected, "Jiraya of the Sannin can use a special kind of ninjutsu, Senjutsu (Sage Jutsu) that allows him to draw on a special kind of chakra called 'Natural Energy' from the world around him. That takes years of training and discipline to learn though, and I've never heard of a _tree_ using Senjutsu. Someone's altered them somehow."

"Stay alert!" Kurenai warned, "There's a castle over there."

Indeed, the lofty heights of a castle towered over the surrounding forest. Its black tiles contrasted sharply with the golden decorations on the roof. Hinata activated her Kekkei Genkai for a moment.

"That castle is a-abandoned." Hinata reported, "From what little I can see, it was taken in a siege. There are signs of both s-samurai-style earthworks and small signs of what could be old ninja engagements across this side of the castle."

"Guess the Kashi Clan was conquered by one of the other three Clans." Anko said with a shrug.

"What's o-odd is that the damage is several years old." Hinata continued, "There is no sign of any r-repairs to the damage, nor are the walls in a good s-state of upkeep. The entire castle looks as if it was abandoned after it was conquered."

"That makes no sense." Ino said as she ran, "In an area like this, the more fortified positions you hold, and the better. No-one would simply abandon a freshly conquered castle!"

"Hinata, are there any signs of old corpses?" Kurenai asked.

The Hyuuga Heiress focused for a moment. "No…none at all."

"This is getting more and more bizarre." the raven haired kunoichi muttered, "Lets pick up the pace and get to the village. I do not want to have to spend the night in these woods unless it's absolutely necessary."

"With you there." Naruko muttered as she sped up. That feeling of being watched had just became more pronounced as they spoke and the Uzumaki Heiress was eager to get this mission over with and get back to Konoha ASAP.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Hidden Chamber, Unknown Location**

A woman wearing an extravagantly expensive kimono sat in the centre of the chamber, her back to the wall. Her hair was pure black and pooled around her in an elegant, waterfalling princess style. She maintained a meditative state and kept her eyes closed as she breathed evenly

Her elegant hands in an unusual handsign. The pinkies, index fingers and thumbs are extended and connected at the tips, while the last two fingers are folded up and pressed together. Waves of chakra came off her as she concentrated.

"Sae-sama." a voice calls to her from the entrance to the chamber.

"What is it, Kogorō?" the woman spoke in a deep voice that was tinged with arrogance.

"The Konoha ninja have arrived and we have sealed the barrier behind them. They are trapped." the voice reported in a monotone.

"I know." Sae smirked, "I have been watching them. One seems to sense my presence, although not whom I am or how I am doing it. Are the preparations complete?"

"Saeko-sama sends her apologies. It will take another hour before everything is ready." Kogorō reported, "What are your orders, Sae-sama?"

"Pah!" Sae spat, "Useless sister! Fine. My orders are this: Capture all of the Konoha scum and bring them here. We will prepare them for the ritual in advance after sealing their chakra. Then my plan will bloom to fruition, and Hi no Kuni shall fall to the Yanagi!"

"By your command." Kogorō replied and his presence faded from the doorway.

"Soon…_very_ soon." the woman known as Yanagi Sae whispered as she opened her eyes, revealing azure orbs infected by the light of a fanatic, "My revenge…my life…this world…shall all end!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Half an Hour Later**

**Morimura Village Gate**

Team 8 stood outside a solid wooden palisade that was presumably Morimura Village's protection against wild animals. They located the gate and had been pounding on it for the last ten minutes, with no reply.

The entire village area was surprisingly quiet. No animals braying, no sounds of children playing, no human voices of any sort. It was eerie and set the Team's nerves on edge.

"Hinata, use the _**Byakugan**_ and tell us what the hell is going on in there." Anko ordered in frustration.

The Hyuuga Heiress complied, and then gasped, "The village has been sacked!"

In a flash, Naruko and Anko had ran up the wooden palisade and perched on the top of the wall, swiftly joined by the rest of Team 8.

What they saw was not good. 'Sacked' was actually a mild term to describe the state of the village.

The buildings looked as if they had been ripped apart…from the _inside_. Scattered remnants of stone and wood littered the ground, doors were broken into pieces, handcarts were smashed and a few shattered spears marked a point where the villagers had likely tried to muster a defence of sorts against whatever had attacked them.

"Sweet kami, what the hell happened here?!" Ino exclaimed.

"Nothing good." Kurenai said grimly, "Right, lets investigate. Look for survivors, but don't split up!"

The five kunoichi cautiously began searching the village ruins. The damage looked recent, no older than a week at most. The houses they checked had severe damage to the interiors and looked like they had been hit with a Futon jutsu. Chairs, tables and beds were destroyed, especially the legs, and there were holes in the floors, some as big as a fist, some the size of a horse.

The site where the remains of spears lay had no blood at all, which was odd. Even a barely trained group of villagers should have drawn some blood against a flesh-and-blood opponent when armed with spears.

The way the spears had been destroyed was unusual as well. They hadn't been cut into pieces, they had been crushed and ripped into pieces as if a giant had picked them up and clenched its fist.

"The more we look around, the more I think we should get outta here." Naruko said nervously as she knelt on the ground examining a spearhead. The steel point had been twisted almost beyond all recognition.

"I agree." Kurenai said, "This is far beyond our missions parameters. Though it baffles and concerns me as to what happened here, the best thing to do is return to Konoha and report this to Hokage-sama so he can launch a proper investigation."

"I cannot allow you to do that, I'm afraid." a low monotone of a voice said from the left of the group. Anko spun and drew a kunai.

From the earth, a man emerged. He had close-cropped brown hair and wore a black kimono. Over where the heart would be, was a Clan symbol. It was the Kanji '**柳**' (Willow). Dark cords of some sort sprouted from his back and delved into the earth. When he opened his eyes, the team were startled. They were utterly blank, as if he had no soul.

"I am Inaba Kogorō, retainer of the Yanagi Clan." The man said in the same low monotone, "You will surrender now and lay down your weapons."

"We are official Shinobi of Konohagakure no Sato." Kurenai replied in a hard voice, "The Yanagi Clan doesn't have the authority to command us in anything."

"I must defeat you then." The man who called himself Kogorō sighed in disappointment and he formed an odd handsign.

"_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Shitai Shoji no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Corpse Possession Jutsu!)**_" He intoned.

The ground began shaking as he completed his jutsu. A hand erupted from the earth near Ino, who shrieked and leapt away. More of the body emerged, until the body of a man emerged from the earth wearing the usual clothes of a civilian villager. It's face was slack, it's eyes were sightless and the skin a bloodless, deathly pale hue. It was a corpse, with a bundle of black cords, that were actually roots now that Team 8 had a chance to look closer, embedded in it's back.

Other corpses followed the first from the ground until Team 8 was surrounded by at least twenty of them, all wearing clothes that proclaimed that they had been ordinary villagers in life.

"What kind of sick _fuck_ are you?!" Anko snarled in disgust.

"I am a retainer of the Yanagi Clan." Kogorō said serenely, "Mere Hidden Village ninja like yourselves cannot comprehend the majesty of the Yanagi Clan's plans. Any means I use have been given the blessing of Sae-sama and thus, such trifles as morality are of no concern to me."

"Insane fool." Kurenai said tightly, "Kinjutsu like this are forbidden for a reason, moral or otherwise."

The man smiled genially, "That was Sae-sama's decision, not mine. I am a mere agent of her will, and her will is that you be brought before her. I once again urge you to surrender."

"Like hell, you twisted freak!" Naruko snarled and formed the Monkey handsign.

"_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongōgatana**_!" She snarled, transforming the gauntlet into it's sword form.

"You are going to regret this." she shouted at the man and charged him.

The man merely shifted his hands to another handsign that resembled an inverted Bird Handsign and said, "_**Kōgeki Kaishi! (Commence Attack!)**_"

The crowd of corpses lurched into motion and blocked Naruko's path, reaching for her with clawing hands. Naruko's Adamantine Katana flashed as she whirled it in a figure of eight before her, slicing hands off the army of corpses as fast as they came into range.

The undead puppets stopped their attack, allowing Naruko to leap back, breathing heavily. Roots emerged from the dead flesh where Naruko had severed the limbs of the bodies and reached down for the missing appendages, inserting themselves into the severed hands and retracting, bringing the hands back to the bodies.

While all this was happening, Team 8 was staring in morbid fascination at the mass limb reattachment they were seeing before them. Ino and Hinata looked green as they watched, Naruko disbelieving and Anko and Kurenai had their eyes narrowed as they watched, attempting to puzzle out how it was happening.

"A fruitless attempt." Kogorō commented from behind the wall of corpses, "This jutsu is completely invincible, no matter what you try. Weapons, jutsu…there is nothing that can defeat it. Give up."

Anko suddenly made the Tiger handsign as she shouted, "Naru-chan, JUMP!"

Naruko didn't hesitate to leap into the air as soon as she heard the order, leaving Anko with a clear shot at the corpses.

"_**Katon: **__**Karyūdan no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu!)**_" Anko snarled as she unleashed a giant stream of fire at the enemy corpses. The undead puppets dint move an iota as the flames drew close and then engulfed them in an inferno.

"You got them Anko-sensei!" Naruko shouted as she landed.

"Nope, just charred them." Anko replied with a frown as the corpses shambled out of the blaze, still on fire, but unaffected by it.

"Let's try _really_ turning up the heat," Naruko growled, "Everyone fall back! You do _not_ want to be caught in this! _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!"

As fifty or so clones appeared, Team 8 fell back. Naruko then shouted, "_**Keisei**__**: **__**Kōsei Bunshinheki (Formation: Offensive Clone Wall!)**_"

The clones leapt atop each other's shoulders until they formed a wall between Team 8 and the approaching corpse army.

"Let 'em have it!" Naruko ordered. The clones started running through handsigns

"_**Katon: Takibi no Jutsu!**_" half the wall intoned, unleashing twenty odd fireballs at the corpses.

A few seconds later, the second half unleashed their jutsu, "_**Futon: **__**Fūrō no Jutsu! (Wind Style: Wind Waves Jutsu!)**_", launching three blasts of wind each at the fire jutsu in front of them.

When the first blasts struck the _**Takibi**_, they swelled up to three times their original size. When the second wave hit, they tripled in size again. When the final wave hit the fire jutsus, they tripled once again, becoming a sheer wall of flames that struck the corpses like a giant's fist, sending them flying and burning a few to a crisp on impact.

Kogorō had taken shelter beneath the earth when he say the massive wall of flames heading towards the corpses before him, and now returned to above ground. Seeing the corpse army scattered hither and yon, he sniffed dismissively.

"A worthy effort, I will admit." he said emotionlessly, "The four chunin two years ago did not fair nearly as well. But now, I am afraid, it is time for you to fall."

He made a series of strange handsigns and said, "_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Meikai Kinone Shibari no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Underworld Tree Root Binding Jutsu!)**_"

The ground trembled again and erupted with roots grasping for the members of Team 8. Anko and Kurenai slashed at the roots with kunai, but found that they were unable to cut through the thick bark around the roots, so ended up dodging the roots like a mad pair of dancers.

Hinata tried to use her _**Jūho**_ on the roots and found that a single jab did in fact stop them - for five seconds. She began to slowly retreat whilst weaving a deadly web of _**Jūho**_ strikes, using absolute economy of movement to deal with every single encroaching root.

Ino fell back to the old standby for dealing with something you couldn't fight: ran like all the hounds of hell were after her, jumping dodging, jinking and essentially getting a good gymnastics workout out of the whole ordeal.

Naruko, unlike her teammates, found that her weapon, made of the legendary metal Adamantine, was very effective against the roots, cutting them down like weeds. She immediately went on the offensive, striking out at the roots attacking Ino, in order to give her friend some breathing room.

Kogorō frowned at the sight. '_No weapon should be able to cut the roots of the __Akuryō no Moriki (Evil Spirit Forest-Tree) as they are clad in chakra enhanced bark and as strong as solid steel pipes. What sorcery is this? What sort of blade does she wield that can do this?_' he thought angrily.

"Take THAT!" Naruko shouted as she cut down another dozen roots lancing in to attack Hinata from her back, before leaping over to where Anko and Kurenai were dodging the roots.

"Enough of this foolishness." Kogorō said coldly, "Girl, it seems you are the one I must deal with first. Prepare to die."

'_I hope Sae-sama forgives me for killing one of the sacrifices._' he thought with a slight shiver of fear at the thought of his mistress's displeasure.

Naruko cut down the last of the assailing roots and snorted, only slightly out of breath, "Tch, yeah right. All you have are your corpse army and some funky plants. When you feel like getting serious, let me know."

"Consider me serious right now." Kogorō said darkly as he weaved more handsigns, "_**Yanagi Kinjutsu **__**Ōgi: Oniki: Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu, Ultimate Technique: Demon Tree: Evil Forest Demon Jutsu!)**_"

As soon as he uttered those words, a large number of roots rose from the ground and wrapped him in a cocoon, dragging him beneath the surface.

Naruko had a bad feeling about this. She looked over to Kurenai and Anko and shouted, "Anko-sensei! This guy's focussing on trying to kill me right now! Get the others out of here! I'll hold him off as long as I can and join up with you!"

Ino and Hinata flashed back to the attack on their team made by Yamanaka Haruo. She had sounded exactly like this just before Haruo unleashed the _**Gōryūka no Jutsu **_and almost killed her.

Anko looked rebellious at the idea, but Kurenai gripped her shoulder and shook her head. "Understood, Genin Uzumaki." Kurenai said formally, "Make certain that you do rejoin us, or Anko will not be happy at the prospect of having to finding a new house to rent."

Naruko grinned. "I've got it covered. Get Hinata-chan and Ino-chan out of here!"

Kurenai and a reluctant Anko grabbed the other two genin around their waists and leapt over the palisade. Naruko breathed out a sigh of relief. Her friends were safe. Now to deal with whatever this bastard was thinking up.

The ground rumbled yet again, as whatever jutsu it was that the Retainer of the Yanagi Clan had used completed itself. The earth cracked, split and was sundered into pieces as a giant…_thing_ made of roots rose up from beneath the village, making Naruko gape in shock.

The…creature?…construct?…whatever it was, was vaguely humanoid in appearance, although the legs were short and the arms were misshapen, being at least twice as long as it's height, which was a good ten feet high. It had a face, but Naruko doubted somehow that it could see in the conventional sense.

"**So, you stayed behind in order to cover your comrades' retreat?"** a hideous voice boomed from the construct, **"Admirable, but ultimately a futile gesture. Sae-sama is one with the forest. Anywhere that there are leaves in this forest, she had both eyes and ears. Your friends cannot escape."**

"…Kogorō?" Naruko said blankly, "What in Kami's name have you done to yourself?"

"**I am now one with the forest,"** Kogorō -or the thing that used to be Kogorō- boomed, **"And thus, I am also one with Sae-sama. She has bestowed upon me this great power in order to crush you, the only one who has ever cut the roots of the Akuryō no Moriki."**

"Well now, isn't _that_ an honour?" Naruko remarked sarcastically as she set herself into a sword stance, "Are we going to talk all day, or are you going to hurry up and die?"

"**Insolent fool, you cannot hope to overcome me,"** Kogorō scoffed, **" I am beyond humanity now. You cannot kill me anymore than you can destroy nature."**

Naruko scowled at the stupidity of the former human, "We won't know unless we fight, and you seem to be trying to _talk_ me to death rather than fight me!"

"**Die then, you insignificant insect!"** Kogorō roared in fury as he launched his whip-like upper limbs at her with surprising speed for someone of his size. Naruko dodged to the side and readied herself for a long fight.

"Here I come, you monster!" she yelled as she charged forwards.

The resulting clash echoed throughout the whole forest.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With the rest of Team 8...**

[BOOOOM!]

Ino flinched as she ran when she heard the crash from behind her, where her friend was fighting for her life against who knows what.

"Dammit!" Anko growled, "What're we going to do, Nai-chan? The road's vanished!"

"We have to get out of the forest!" Kurenai replied, "That man back there used several jutsu that use tree roots as a medium. That means that whoever 'Sae-sama' is, she has been watching us from the moment we entered the forest."

"You mean Naruko-chan's feeling of being watched?" Ino asked.

"Exactly." Kurenai replied, "The best thing for us to do is to get to a place with the least amount of vegetation. It will limit the abilities of our enemy and provide a safe place to plan out counterattack from."

"What about Naruko-chan?" Hinata asked.

"I'm sorry to say that she's on her own for now." Kurenai said as they paused in a clearing, "That man was homing in on her as a target, probably because she could cut those roots that attacked us. He'll try and kill her as fast as possible and then come after us."

"But…!" Hinata's face was contorted with distress.

"Naru-chan'll be fine." Anko said suddenly, "She's too damn good to lose to a cheap hack like Kogorō."

"Exactly." Kurenai nodded, "Uzumaki were the worst people to be in a fight against because of three factors. They usually have more chakra than you do, they are relentless on the attack and, most importantly, they never give up, regardless of the odds. That's why it took the combined forces of three of the Great Shinobi nations to destroy Uzushiogakure."

"Wow." Ino said in astonishment. She hadn't known that.

Hinata activated her Byakugan and had a look around. "There seems to be a valley of some sort over the hill." she reported quietly, "There doesn't appear to be any trees near it."

"Good." Kurenai said, "Lets head there."

The valley was not only free of trees, it was bare of any kind of greenery whatsoever, not even grass or moss. Even the earth had been stripped from the valley, leaving only solid rock to cover the entirety of the land.

"Let's get to somewhere out of sight." Kurenai said, "Hinata, any possibilities?"

"There's a cave in the cliff 500 meters on our right or another one 653 meters on our left." Hinata reported dutifully.

"The one on the left." Anko said bluntly, "Naru-chan automatically searches the left side of a place before the right."

After they got settled in the cave, Kurenai started going over what they knew about the current situation in her head. They were in the middle of what she could safely call enemy territory. Their client had, in all likelihood, been killed along with his whole village not long after sending the initial mission request, if it was a legitimate mission request to begin with.

To make things worse, the perpetrators of this seemed to be the Yanagi Clan, one of the local Clans, who had in their possession a kinjutsu that allowed then to use a sort of half-assed knock off of the fabled _**Mokuton (Wood Style)**_. With the kinjutsu, they could reanimate corpses like gruesome glove puppets, reattach severed limbs from the cadaver puppets and control roots that were as flexible as ninja wire but harder than steel, to the point that the kunai she had tried to cut the roots with had become blunt on the side she had used.

'_This is not good._' Kurenai thought, '_The ANBU would have intervened back there if they had been able to, so they are either dead or incapacitated. Better try and find out which._'

"Anko, can you summon a snake and send it to try and find the ANBU? They ought to be somewhere near our path into the forest." Kurenai asked.

The Snake Mistress nodded grimly and weaved the handsigns, "Right. _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**_!"

Oddly enough, nothing happened. Anko looked baffled.

"OK, what the hell?" she said in confusion. She repeated the jutsu again, with no effect again, making her growl in frustration.

"Grrrr. Damn it!" she snarled, "Whoever is responsible for this whole cluster-fuck must have used a variant of a _**Keiyaku**_ _**Fūin (Contract Seal)**_ that's spread across the entire damn forest in order to block summonings!"

"A what now?" Ino asked in confusion.

"A _**Keiyaku**_ _**Fūin **_is a complicated piece of Fūinjutsu that, when applied to a Summoner, blocks off their connection to any of their summoned animals." Kurenai explained, "It can also be used to block off a Summoner from summoning anything to begin with, but usually it needs to be applied to a person's skin directly in order to work. The only other way it could be used to this effect, without being applied to Anko, would be-"

"-The Kekkai that surrounds the forest." a hoarse voice interrupted Kurenai from deeper within the cave. Team 8 started to their feet and drew kunai on instinct.

The voice chuckled dryly. "I suppose after encountering Inaba Kogorō, you would be jumpy." the voice croaked, "But I assure you, I mean you no harm. I am in fact the one who sent for you."

A slow shuffling sound was heard as a wrinkled old man hobbled into view. He looked older than Sarutobi, his face wrinkled with lines and the little that remained of his hair was snow white and wispy on his head.

"I am Morimura Shin'ichi, formerly the Elder of Morimura Village." the man said, "And I welcome you to the Rachi no Tanima (Valley of Naked Earth), the last area of resistance against the Yanagi Clan."

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**Next Chapter: Infiltration of ****Mokuzai Kijō**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is one of my own creation.**

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**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: ****Shitai Shoji no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Corpse Possession Jutsu**

Rank: A

Type: _Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _Using his connection to the Akuryō no Moriki, Inaba Kogorō reanimates corpses that have been buried in the ground beforehand. The roots infest the corpses and grant them movement. The jutsusha (Caster) must direct them with a combination of his will and handsigns in order to get them to do anything. The corpses are immune to cutting and bludgeoning attacks and must be destroyed in their entirety in order to be stopped. Alternatively, the roots that connect the corpse-puppets to the Akuryō no Moriki can be severed, rendering the corpse a marionette with cut strings: utterly unable to move._

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Katon: Karyūdan no Jutsu - Fire Style: Fire Dragon Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user unleashes a large stream of fire from their mouth._

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**Keisei****: ****Kōsei Bunshinheki - Formation: Offensive Clone Wall**

Rank: A

Type: _Clone Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Tactic_

Effect: _A Shadow Clone Tactic that Uzumaki Naruko created. After creating a number of Shadow Clones, they stand on each other's shoulders and form a wall, which can be used as a platform for offensive jutsu bombardment._

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**Futon: ****Fūrō no Jutsu - Wind Style: Wind Waves Jutsu**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user unleashes 2-5 blasts of wind from their mouth. Each blast has strength equivalent to a half strength Daitoppa._

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**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: ****Meikai Kinone Shibari no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Underworld Tree Root Binding Jutsu**

Rank: A

Type: _Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _Using his connection to the Akuryō no Moriki, Inaba Kogorō commands its roots to assail the enemy. Each root is no thicker than a grown man's thumb, yet they cannot be cut by regular steel. The bark encasing them is stronger than steel, and the roots themselves are reinforced by chakra. Once they ensnare an enemy, they are bound hand and foot._

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**Yanagi Kinjutsu ****Ōgi: Oniki: Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu, Ultimate Technique: Demon Tree: Evil Forest Demon Jutsu**

Rank: S

Type: _Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _One of the strongest Kinjutsu in the Yanagi Clan's Arsenal, This forms the roots of the Akuryō no Moriki around the user, forming a combat form resembling a monster. The form can vary from user to user, but is generally a ten-foot high __Sasquatch-like form, with short legs and long arms as flexible as a whip. It is rare for someone who uses this jutsu to ever revert to normal._

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	13. Infiltration of Mokuzai Kijō

**Author's Note: Hey. Here is the Second Chapter of the Living Forest Demon Arc.**

**Naruko is going to get a rude awakening on precisely ****why**** you need to ****think**** before you use a Jutsu in this chapter. That is all I will say.**

**Now, I have put a poll up to determine what arcs I should put up. There will be five, and the ones I already chose to put in anyway. For the list, visit my profile. In addition, please, you have three votes. Use them all. Not much point if people only vote for one each in a multi-selection vote, eh?**

**As no-one has guessed, I will now reveal the final member of the harem: Temari. I have always thought that having grown up with a homicidal brother, a brother who wears kitty-ear pyjamas and a father who might as well have been a hired guardian rather than their blood-father, she would have been put off of men for life, so that's what happened here.**

**By the way, has anyone guessed what martial art I based Ino's Taijutsu style off?**

**Please Read and Review! Nice detailed reviews!**

**Now, on with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 13: Infiltration of ****Mokuzai Kijō**

**Naruko's Perspective**

Naruko was down on one knee, gasping for breath and leaning on her sword for support. She had just been thrown through several buildings by the monster that had once been Inaba Kogorō.

"**Not so cocky now, are you whelp?"** Kogorō's voice boomed across the ruins of Morimura.

"Hah! I'm just getting started, you oversized weed!" Naruko shouted as she leapt to her feet and ran up the nearest building. She spotted Kogorō's oversized body lumbering forwards towards her.

"_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu!)**_ Naruko roared as over 500 Shadow Clones appeared around her, perching on walls and buildings as they did.

"**What is this? How are there so many clones?"** Kogorō demanded, **"Girl, exactly what **_**are**_** you?"**

"Uzumaki Naruko, Genin of Konohagakure no Sato!" All the Naruko-Clones shouted back defiantly, "And we're gonna peel you apart like an onion!"

"**Bah!"** Kogorō scoffed derisively, **"You are welcome to try, runt. No matter how much chakra you possess, you cannot so much as touch me!"**

"Let's just see about that!" The original Naruko snarled as she and ten others made the Tiger handsign, "_**Doton: Doryū Taiga!**_"

The concentrated effort of eleven _**Doryū Taiga **_jutsu's in concert sent the giant treeman flying, covered in mud. Naruko and the other clones maintaining the jutsu upped the amount of chakra they were feeding to the jutsu so the small river became a huge river, throwing more mud on top of Kogorō.

"**Gaaaaah!"** the former human roared, **"I will rip you to pieces for this!"**

"Get in line." a Naruko-Clone snarled.

"Less talking, more blasting!" Naruko ordered. Her clones really were too independent and mouthy sometimes.

The Naruko Clone Army moved to surround Kogorō, who had come to rest against a wall. All of the Naruko-clones began making handsigns.

"_**Suiton: Teppōdama no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Suiton: **__**Hōmatsu Rappa no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Raiton: Jibashi no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Katon: Takibi no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Katon: Endan no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Futon: Reppūshō no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Futon: **__**Fūrō**__** no Jutsu!**_"

The Naruko Cones rained jutsu after jutsu down upon the retainer of the Yanagi Clan. She wasn't taking any chances with this guy, he had to be put down and put down hard. Otherwise, he'd try to hurt her friends.

"**ENOUGH!"** Kogorō roared in fury, "_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: **__**Oniki: Meikai Ne Kushizashi no Jutsu! (Yanagi Kinjutsu: Demon Tree: Underworld Root Impalement Jutsu!)**_"

Roots from his burnt, electrocuted, soaking and windswept body lanced out at the Clone Army. Naruko stared in shock. All of her jutsu may only have been C-Rank, but she had never heard of anything that could simply _shrug off _seven jutsu being dealt out by an army of 500 shinobi at the same time, unless it was a Boss Summon like Gamabunta and even then, the jutsu had to be fairly weak.

The Shadow-copies of her Adamantine Katana couldn't cut through the roots, so the clones who tried were skewered and puffed out of existence. The rest of the clones tried to avoid the roots but they were relentless.

Soon, Naruko stood alone against Kogorō once again. The treeman's root-encased body was scorched and badly damaged in places, but it clearly didn't hinder him in the least.

'_Ok Naruko, keep calm,_' The Uzumaki Heiress thought to herself, '_Remember what Ji-chan told you. There is no such thing as an unbeatable jutsu. There is always a way to counter or defeat any jutsu._'

The main problem was, there didn't seem to be a lot she hadn't done to defeat this guy. She'd hit him with fire, water, wind and lightning and he still managed to take out her entire clone army.

With a single jutsu.

"**I have had enough of your disrespect and irritating little jutsu!"** Kogorō roared, **"You will regret the day you ever set foot in Morimura!"**

"Looking at the monster you've turned yourself into, I already do." Naruko shot back, "You were an ugly bastard before, but now? Man, you're ten times worse!"

"**Grrrr! I will turn you into skewered kunoichi meat!"** Kogorō growled, **"But first, to prevent you from running away…**_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Kinone Kangoku no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Tree Root Prison Jutsu!)**_**"**

Around the border of Morimura Village, thousands of vines shot up from beneath the earth, arching into an enormous dome that blocked out the sun and cast the village into darkness.

There was light though. The roots that made up the dome glowed a sickly black and green light that just barely illuminated the shattered remains of Morimura, making the ruins look haunted.

"**Now then…where were we…?"** Kogorō purred smugly.

Naruko gripped her _**Kongōgatana**_ tightly. This was going to be a long fight. If jutsu didn't work, she'd have to rely on her sword to cut the damned man out of his root suit.

"Let's get this over with, Inaba Kogorō." she said coldly, "I have too much to do with my life to die in such a place as this."

"**Hah! Spunky, aren't you?"** Kogorō snorted, **"You will come to regret that spunk when your body lies broken at my feet."**

"You don't have feet anymore." Naruko pointed out, "You have roots."

"**Shut UP!"** Kogorō howled in rage as he thundered forwards.

Naruko dodged his slow charge and thought, '_Seriously, this guy has no sense of humour._'

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**With the Rest of Team 8...**

Kurenai regarded the old man carefully. He claimed to be the Elder of Morimura Village, but he looked too old and frail to have gotten himself all the way out here from the village during the attack that had reduced Morimura to a ruin.

"If you _are_ the Elder of Morimura, kindly explain why a C-Rank request was submitted for a situation that is _clearly_ an S-Rank situation?" she asked the man coldly.

"The choice was not mine, I'm afraid." Shin'ichi said solemnly, "You must understand, the Yanagi have ruled us with an iron fist for years. We have been punished most severely for the smallest infractions and the least signs of rebellion or disobedience."

"Kurenai-sensei, I think it's time you started explaining the situation to us in full." Ino said fiercely, "What the hell is going on and why were we being followed by ANBU?!"

Anko exchanged a look with Kurenai and began, "There have been far too many disappearances around Morimura in the last five years, brat. Civilians, samurai and ninja. So when this mission request came to the old man's attention with the information that residents of Morimura were being abducted from their own homes, he decided that enough was enough and the place needed investigating."

Kurenai took over here, "Hokage-sama sent us, because we were the best prepared out of all of the rookie genin teams. We are also the most combat capable, with Anko here."

"Thank you Nai-chan." Anko said and fluttered her eyelashes bashfully.

"Hokage-sama also dispatched two teams of ANBU to shadow us." Kurenai continued, rolling her eyes at Anko's antics, "They were supposed to investigate the four Clans that rule this area while we acted as the stalking horse and drew the enemies attention, but if there's a kekkai, I doubt that they were able to enter the forest at all."

Hinata still looked unhappy. "Ano…What about Naruko-chan? She's fighting that Kogorō person!"

Shin'ichi looked shaken. "You…left someone _behind_ to fight _him_? _Alone_?"

"She volunteered." Kurenai snapped, "He announced that he would kill her before taking us. I suspect it has something to do with the fact she could cut those roots with her sword."

The old man paled. "She…actually _cut_ them? Really? That…explains a lot. _No-one _has ever cut the roots of the Akuryō no Moriki before."

"'Evil Spirit Forest-Tree'" Anko said with a frown, "I think that you should start explaining how everything came to be like this, Shin'ichi-sama."

"Of course. Follow me, I will escort you to the resistance's cave." the Elder said, turning around and beckoning them to follow him. Exchanging wary looks, Team 8 followed him.

They moved deeper into the cave, until they hit a dead end. Shin'ichi reached out and twisted a seemingly random rock. With a crack, the wall split in two and retracted to the sides.

"Wow. Just like Naruko-chan's home." Ino whispered to Hinata, who nodded in reply.

They climbed a staircase that was cut into the rock of the mountain and reached a sturdy looking wooden door. The old Elder banged on the door three times with his hand.

The door opened a crack. "Password?" A female voice asked cautiously.

"Haruka, hurry up and open the damn door already." Shin'ichi said irritably, "If I was a Yanagi stooge, I would have broken the door down rather than knock. Now open up already!"

"Yes, Elder." the girl squeaked and flung the door open, revealing a girl no older than ten straining to hold the door open.

Team 8 followed the Elder and the little girl into a vast cavern that looked as if it had originally been a natural formation, but had been enlarged by extensive mining and carving. It was filled with women, children and the elderly, but very few men of fighting age.

"Most of the younger men acted as a rearguard when the Yanagi launched their attack on us a week ago. Not many survived to flee here." Shin'ichi told them quietly. He led them to a small chamber off the main cavern that had a soft chair and a carved stone couch covered in pillows.

Shin'ichi sat in the chair with a groan of relief. "Those damn stairs get steeper every time I have to climb them."

"This looks like a Ninja Clan's emergency storehouse." Kurenai said conversationally.

The Elder chuckled, "Yes indeed. It used to belong to the Kashi Clan before they were destroyed."

The humour faded from Shin'ichi's face then. "How much do you know about the history of this area and the four Ninja Clans that used to rule here?"

"We know that all four clans have a common ancestor, Morisato Kazenotsuchi, and that they have fought each other for dominance here since before the Warring Clans period. Other than that, we know very little of this area's history as the four Clans were very reclusive and stand offish." Kurenai replied as she and the others took a seat.

"I see." Shin'ichi sat quietly for a moment to organise his thoughts, "Well, Morisato Kazenotsuchi was said to have learned from one of the original disciples of the Rikudō Sennin Himself. He created many jutsu and was a kind man. He also carried out numerous experiments on plant life. He had heard of the Rikudō Sennin's Sennin Mode, which allowed him to gather Natural Energy, and was determined to create something that would allow an ordinary Ninja to use Natural Energy."

"He…that's…What kind of an _idiot_…?!" Anko spluttered, eyes wide with disbelief.

"What's wrong, Anko-sensei?" Ino asked with a frown, "Natural Energy is just another form of chakra, right? So it shouldn't be that difficult to use."

"Flower Girl, only those with immense chakra reserves are able to safely gather Natural Energy." Anko replied in a strangled voice, "My bastard ex-sensei is able to do it, as can Jiraya of the Sannin. Those are the only two who can use Senjutsu that have come from Konoha in my lifetime. Oh, the Yondaime Hokage was able to mould Natural Energy as well, now I come to think about it, although the Kyuubi came shortly after he learned and he never fully mastered it."

"But…why?" Hinata asked with a frown.

"Most people who use Sennin Mode are associated with a Summoning Contract," Anko explained, "The two that I know about are the Toad Clan from Myōbokuzan (Mount Myōboku) and the Snake Clan of Ryūchidō (Ryūchi Cave), although for all I know the Slug Clan of Shikkotsurin (Shikkotsu Forest) can make people a Sennin as well.

Those two use a special oil, toad oil for the Toads and snake oil for the Snakes, which aid in gathering Natural Energy. Thing is, if you gather too much Natural Energy, you turn into either a stone toad statue or stone snake statue, depending on where you are learning, and there is _no_ known way to reverse the transformation. _That_ is why Morisato's idea is insane."

"Interesting…" Shin'ichi muttered, "I always wondered why he stopped, but this does explain much. Anyway, ultimately, he failed. But he did create something that was horrifically powerful as a result: The Hason Shinboku (Corrupted Sacred Tree) or, as we now know it, the Akuryō no Moriki."

"What exactly is it?" Kurenai asked.

"A monstrosity that should never have been created." Shin'ichi said firmly and with disgust in his voice, "He took an extremely old and powerful Shinboku, one that had been exposed to the raw chakra of the Rikudō Sennin, and he…experimented on it, twisting it, corrupting it, until he created a foul being that did, in an odd way, fulfil his goal.

The Akuryō no Moriki does indeed allow a person to use Natural Energy, in small quantities, but the price is _far_ too great to be called an equivalent exchange. The price…is that it creates the Natural Energy from the distilled lifeblood of victims sacrificed to it."

Kurenai gasped in horror. Anko scowled and muttered under her breath, while Ino and Hinata turned green at the thought.

"Then…your villagers…" Kurenai said in sudden realisation.

"Yes…all of the kidnapped villagers have been used as 'fuel' for the demon tree." Shin'ichi said as he sagged in his seat, "Oh, they aren't dead, but they wish they were."

"What do you…?" Kurenai asked.

"That comes at the end of the tale." The Elder said, "Where was I again…ah, yes. Once he discovered the price for the Natural Energy being distilled, Morisato-shi was most distressed. He tried to destroy the foul thing, but it was, as it is now, incredibly resilient to destruction. He couldn't even scratch it, despite his best efforts.

Once he realised he couldn't destroy it, he had a special room built deep beneath his castle and transferred the Akuryō no Moriki to it. He used numerous powerful seals to restrain its power and prevent it from escaping and spreading to the forest. He then closed the doors and locked them up with some very heavy and solid chains, along with an immensely complicated locking mechanism. Finally, he sealed the path to the hidden chamber beneath layers of bricks, concrete and stone, and gave instructions that no-one was to ever excavate that door, on pain of death."

Anko blinked. "Wow. He sure was thorough."

"Indeed." Shin'ichi nodded in agreement, "Unfortunately, Morisato-shi had been poisoned by his constant exposure to the undiluted evil chakra of the demon tree and he soon fell gravely ill. On his deathbed, he ordered that his sons were to guard the castle together and to raise their families so that none could reach his greatest mistake."

"Let me guess, the four idiots misconstrued that _completely_ and took it to mean that only the one whose family was the most _worthy_ could inherit his greatest _secret_?" Anko asked, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

"You got it right on the nose." The Elder snorted in disgust, "The Eldest son who eventually became the Clan Head of the Yanagi claimed his father's castle, Furinkan-Jō (Wood Wind Hall Castle) as his own and evicted his brothers after he got fed up of them arguing all the time.

The next oldest took his followers and built a castle in the eastern area, calling it Washigan-Jō (Eagle-Eye Castle) and swore to maintain a strict watch on the other three until his family won.

The second youngest moved to the north, built a castle and called it Kurou-Jō (Black Crow Castle), swearing to wipe out his brothers' families and lay claim to the secret of Furinkan-Jō for himself.

Finally, the youngest built a castle in the west, calling it Katagi Kijō (Temperament Demon Castle) and supported his eldest brother.

In this way, the deadlock between the four Clans was maintained for hundreds of years, with the balance shifting between the clans every so often, but none of them could break the deadlock.

At least until nine years ago."

"Just after the last survey of the area by Konoha." Kurenai muttered, "The Hyuuga Incident happened the year after that and with all the diplomatic brouhaha, another survey was put off and kept getting put off for some reason."

She had reviewed the records for the area before meeting with her team the previous day.

"Quite." Shin'ichi chose to ignore the flinch that Hinata let show at the mention of her almost-successful kidnapping by Kumogakure, "The incident that changed the balance of power among the four Clans completely was the early death of the Clan Head of the Yanagi Clan, Yanagi Gozaburo. There was a great argument among the Clan Elders as to which of his twin daughters should become the Clan Head.

The older sister, Sae, was a great beauty, even at the age of sixteen and had a brilliant mind in matters military and domestic. Unfortunately, she was also unstable and quite cruel.

Saeko, on the other hand was quiet, shy and disliked combat. She was a shadow of her sister's beauty, attractive, but never as good looking as Sae. Her mind was even more brilliant, however, and she specialised in esoteric jutsu research."

Hinata shifted uneasily. This Clan's inheritance troubles were an inverted shadow of what the situation had been like before she had revealed her real skill to her father and little sister.

"What happened?" Kurenai asked.

"Sae went for a walk in the grounds and the ground beneath her collapsed. She fell into the chamber of the Akuryō no Moriki." Shin'ichi said bluntly.

"Of all the times…"Anko muttered.

"No-one knows what exactly happened beneath the castle, but when Sae emerged, she was connected to the demon tree and used its power to subjugate the Clan, sacrificing all who stood against her to Akuryō no Moriki. Fully two-thirds of the Clan were either slain or sacrificed that day."

"How…" Kurenai couldn't find words to express her feelings on the matter.

"From there, it became a slippery slope." Shin'ichi sighed wearily, "Sae spared her sister and made her work on the Akuryō no Moriki, firstly designing a seal that protected people from the chakra the tree emitted so no-one died from it, and then creating a facility so that sacrifices could be used to the fullest extent before being…disposed of."

"How could she agree to help her sister do such awful things?" Hinata whispered.

"Saeko-sama is not a particularly brave individual." Shin'ichi said with a shrug, "She does not want to be sacrificed to the tree, at any costs. Not everyone has the raw physical courage that most ninja have."

"Still…she could do something! Anything!" Ino exclaimed, "Her cowardice is causing suffering for your entire village!"

"What's done is done, child." The Elder smiled tiredly at Ino, "I admit to wishing that Saeko-sama was braver, but sadly, the only result from that would be her death, and the appointment of someone else who would just carry on in a less efficient manner, which would just cause more suffering to those captured by the Yanagi."

"He's right, Flower Girl." Anko said sourly before turning back to the Elder, "So, the Yanagi were taken over by a borderline nutcase who may or may not have been pushed over the edge by this damn demon tree. How did she conquer the other Clans? She _did_ wipe out all but a third of them."

"This is where the Vassal Clan, the Inaba, comes into play." Shin'ichi said, anger boiling in his voice, "They moved into the area a hundred and fifty years ago, during the Warring Clans Period. They tried to conquer the Yanagi, but the combined efforts of the Yanagi Clan and the Kaba Clan defeated them and the Inaba were made into Vassals of the Yanagi and Kaba.

Yanagi Sae discovered her ancestor's notes on the demon tree and had Saeko-sama augment a portion of the Inaba Clan with Natural Energy. With the enhanced Inaba Clan members added to the regular forces of the Yanagi Clan, the Kashi Clan fell within two months, the Momiji and Kaba Clans falling soon after that."

"She turned on her own ally!?" Anko hissed in outrage.

"Sae considers herself above such mundane things as morality, as I'm sure Inaba Kogorō informed you." Shin'ichi said, "To each clan, she offered them a choice: life in service to her or eventual death at the hands of the Akuryō no Moriki. Most of the three Clans fought to the death rather than suffer either fate."

"Of course." Ino huffed, "My Clan would have made the same choice in the same position as the Kashi, Momiji and Kaba!"

Hinata nodded in agreement. "A-As would my Clan." she said.

"A few members of each clan were captured, including the Clan Heads, and they were sacrificed to the demon tree." The Elder continued, "Sae then set up…seedlings would be the best term for them I think…seedlings at each of the castles, all of them interconnected to each other and to the main tree.

That was six years ago.

Now, the Akuryō no Moriki has spread across the entirety of the forest and Saeko-sama created the Kekkai around the circumference of the border both so none of the villagers can escape and so none can enter without being captured by the twisted Inaba Clan members, that we call Kurai Kōken'nin, unless a section of the barrier is deliberately dropped."

"'Dark Guardians'?" Kurenai queried.

"There is a particular Kinjutsu that turns the user into a walking construct of roots." Shin'ichi explained, "Sae had several Inaba sacrificed in order to perfect it. The roots, which were incredibly resilient, act as a near perfect defence and can also be used as an offence. The worst part is that the one who uses the jutsu doesn't require handsigns for other Yanagi Kinjutsu."

"What is the jutsu's name?" Anko asked, a horrible thought occurring to her.

"I believe it is called '_**Jaaku no Moriki**_', or 'Evil Forest Demon'." Shin'ichi replied, slightly confused by the question, "Why do you ask?"

"SHIT!" Anko cursed, "That was the name of the Jutsu that Kogorō bastard used just before Naruko told us to run for it!"

"Then I am afraid your friend is lost." Shin'ichi said sadly, "None who have stood against a Kurai Kōken'nin have ever walked away."

Anko opened her mouth, probably to bite out an angry retort, when a man ran into the chamber, one of the few men who were not a geriatric.

"Chōrō-dono! (Lord Elder!)" He bellowed.

"What is it? Can't you see I'm in an important meeting right now?" Shin'ichi barked irritably.

"My apologies, Chōrō-dono, but…there's a change in the landscape of the forest!" The man said, an edge of panic in his voice.

Shin'ichi stiffened. "What has changed? Spit it out!" he demanded.

"Morimura Village! It's been covered by a black dome of roots!" the panicking man replied.

"What?!" All of Team 8 exclaimed in shock. Shin'ichi stood up.

"Let's go to the observation post." The Elder said briskly, "I feel we should see this for ourselves."

He led Team 8 to a crude wooden elevator of some kind. After they got in, it was raised up to the peak of the mountain, where a stone observation post had been built, which offered a panoramic view of the entire forest.

In the distance, the giant shape of a dome covered the ruins of what had once been Morimura Village. As the panicking man had said, it was made entirely out of roots and looked dark and menacing as the roots glowed a sickly green/black colour.

"Kami…" Kurenai whispered.

"This…is…_unprecedented_!" Shin'ichi exclaimed, "The last time a dome such as that was raised, it was in the final battle against the Kaba Clan, around the entire _castle_. For Inaba Kogorō to have raised it here…your friend must truly be a great threat for him to have used this jutsu."

"What is it?" Ino whispered, her face horrified.

"A small boundary jutsu." The Elder replied, "Those roots are drawing chakra and Natural Energy directly from the Akuryō no Moriki itself, rather than Kogorō's own chakra. They are now nigh invincible and will not fall until either Kogorō wishes it, or he dies."

"Naruko-chan…" Hinata whimpered.

"I must ask…how is it that you know so much about ninja techniques?" Kurenai said neutrally, "It doesn't seem like the kind of thing that a rural village elder would know about, certainly not in the depth of detail that you seem to."

"Sharp." Shin'ichi chuckled, "I was formerly the Kaba Clan's Castellan, the man who was in charge of the Castle's Wall Guard. The same year that your survey team was in the area, I 'retired' and became the Morimura Village Elder. I was also the spymaster for the Clan and, even now, my single surviving contact within the Yanagi Clan feeds me information about their jutsu and plans, which is how I know so much about the mechanics of Yanagi Clan Jutsu and the workings of the demon tree."

"I see. This explains how you were able to escape from the village, I take it?" Kurenai asked.

"Ah, now that's another tale." The Elder said, "For now, let's get back to the main chamber and I will finish my own story."

"I'm staying here!" Ino said fiercely.

"Me too!" Hinata agreed.

"I would advise against it." Shin'ichi said sadly, "As I said earlier, not a single opponent, or even group of opponents for that matter, have _ever_ survived an encounter with a Kurai Kōken'nin."

"Naruko-chan stayed behind to protect us." Ino replied, "The least we can do is keep a vigil over where she is fighting for her life!"

Hinata nodded, an unusually obdurate expression on her face.

"Very well." Kurenai said. Clearly, her two remaining genin were not going to back down on this subject.

"If you pull that rope there, you will summon the elevator." Shin'ichi pointed at a heavy looking rope near the elevator, "Kindly inform us if anything changes."

"Hai." the two genin responded automatically as they turned their attention to the black dome where their teammate was trapped.

Anko, Kurenai and the Elder rode down the elevator, leaving the two anxious genin watching the dome that imprisoned their friend.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Anko and Kurenai…**

"This must be hard on the two of them." Shin'ichi remarked to the two Jonin as they left the elevator.

"Naruko's been friends with Ino since they were seven, and with Hinata since they were eight." Kurenai said with a sigh, "Ino and Naruko drifted apart slightly as they got older, but they grew close again after being assigned to the same team. Hinata was always shy, but she admires Naruko for her confidence and upbeat attitude."

"I see." The Elder sighed, "The evil of the Yanagi Clan has a lot to answer for."

They re-entered the small chamber that they had been in before and retook their seats.

"Let's see, where was I? Ah, yes." Shin'ichi said with a frown, "After the boundary kekkai was set up, the conditions that the Yanagi forced upon us were…harsh, as I told you before. Affairs continued as they had before, with the Kurai Kōken'nin occasionally capturing any foolish enough to venture into the forest from outside.

The only exceptions were the Konoha Chunin Squad two years ago. They managed to avoid the patrolling Kurai Kōken'nin. Inaba Kogorō defeated them himself and dragged them off to the castle of the Yanagi, which we now call Mokuzai Kijō (Wooden Demon-Castle), himself."

"Are they still alive?" Kurenai asked intently.

"No…the last of them died six months ago." Shin'ichi replied, "A year and a half is how long it usually takes to kill someone with active chakra coils after being sacrificed to the demon tree."

Anko and Kurenai cursed creatively.

"I agree with you." Shin'ichi assured them, "Recently, however, there were members of the village who disappeared without a trace. I would ordinarily dismiss this as a couple running off together, as the first to vanish were teenagers, but then again, this is not an ordinary situation and the list of missing people started growing to include the elderly, children and middle-aged people.

Then I received information from my contact that confirmed my worst fears: the missing villagers were being offered to the Akuryō no Moriki in preparation for something, something big. Then, an edict came from the castle ordering me to send a C-Rank mission request to Konoha asking for a team to investigate the disappearances. If I refused, the village would be razed to the ground as a punishment."

"Shit, and then they did it anyway!" Anko hissed angrily.

"I suspected that they would," The former Elder of Morimura stated serenely, "so I arranged for most of the children and older people to come here during a time when I had been informed that Sae was not watching using her _**Moriki: Kimoku Jutsu (Forest Demon: Demon Eye Jutsu)**_ to spy on the forest.

The day after I sent the request, as I predicted, Inaba Kogorō attacked. The Village Guard and most of the combat trained resistance fighters counter-attacked while the rest of us fell back to here, luckily avoiding any of the Kurai Kōken'nin. This takes us full circle."

"I see. Thank you for being candid with us, Shin'ichi-sama." Kurenai said with a nod, "The question is, what can we do about this situation? We cannot defeat these…Kurai Kōken'nin, nor can we counter the Kinjutsu using the Akuryō no Moriki physically because we cannot cut them or even scratch them with either weapons or Jutsu. What has this entire situation accomplished other than trapped us here with you?"

The Elder opened his mouth to reply, but Ino burst in at that moment looking frantic.

"The dome has vanished!" she shouted, "The bastard's the only one at the Village! Naruko's disappeared!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Fifteen Minutes Previously…**

**Beneath the Dome…**

Naruko dodged another swipe of the treeman's whip-like arms before striking out with her _**Kongōgatana**_, cutting another few inches of roots from the limb in question before leaping back to dodge the second arm.

'_This is getting me nowhere!_' The Uzumaki Heiress growled to herself, '_No matter where I cut, the roots are packed so tightly that I can only cut a few inches into the arms, never mind the main body!_'

Kogorō was also irritated. The brat had been jumping around like a jack-in-the-box and the only two disadvantages of this form was that his speed was significantly less and his ability to react was reduced due to his sheer size.

'_Enough. I have let this brat irritate me for long enough. It is past time to end this absurdity._' he thought coldly.

After dodging another whipping arm, Naruko leapt back several times to put some distance between the two of them.

'_I only have one chance at ending this quickly._' Naruko thought as she readied herself, '_I wish I had spent more time on my Clan's Kenjutsu Style, but even with Shadow Clones there's only so much I can take in per day. The only special technique I learned is still not ready for actual combat. It _should_ work, but I don't know what this guy will do if it fails. Regardless, it's a calculated risk. Here goes nothing…'_

Naruko raised her sword above her head and assumed the high-offensive stance. Following the instructions she remembered from her practice sessions, she channelled both fire chakra and wind chakra towards her _**Kongōgatana**_.

The result astonished her. The sword erupted in a blazing flame that grew with every moment that passed, until she was holding a seven-foot long blade of bubbling fire that pulsed with restrained power.

'_But…how…_' Naruko wondered numbly, '_Of course! The En'ō Kago-te is made of both Adamantine _and_ chakra metal! That means that instead of just coating my blade with fire and wind chakra, the chakra actually entered the sword and combined, the wind chakra making the fire chakra that much more powerful! _That's_ why the instructions recommended a chakra metal sword!_'

"**What is this? What have you wrought, Whelp?!"** Kogorō boomed, **"What manner of blade is that? I have never seen it's like before!"**

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Naruko smirked, "There's no point telling a dead man any secrets. Just know that this sword is your **end**!"

Naruko charged forward as she spoke and, faster than an ordinary human could see, impaled the treeman directly in the centre of its body.

"_**Uzumaki-Ryu Kenjutsu: Kaen **__**Ittōryōdan! (Uzumaki Style Sword Technique: Blazing Single Stroke Bisection!)**_" Naruko hissed and dragged the fiery sword upwards, neatly cutting the treeman in half before the blade extinguished itself.

The two halves fell to either side of where it had once stood and Naruko's eyes widened. The treeman was hollow! What the…?!

"_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Meikai Kinone Shibari no Jutsu!**_**" **a familiar voice boomed from around her. Naruko twisted around but was caught by the swift root that erupted from beneath her. In moments, she was wrapped up in roots that were as strong as steel, her right arm trapped against her chest and her sword clattered against the ground and skittered away from her after her hand was forcibly twisted to disarm her.

The ground to her front rumbled and the familiar form of the treeman Kogorō had become rose up from beneath the earth to loom above her.

"_**Now**_** I have you, bothersome insect!"** Kogorō sneered at her, **"How naïve of you to fall for my **_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Neki:**__** Kara Ne Bunshin no Jutsu (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Root Demon: Hollow Root Clone Jutsu)**_**, especially since you seem to specialise in Clone Jutsu's yourself. A fatal error."**

"When the hell'd you switch?" Naruko snarled as she tried to free herself in vain.

"**When you began your attack."** Kogorō said smugly, **"Your sword technique was powerful enough to have pierced my actual root armour, I freely admit that, but it was too bright after being in this darkness for all this time and made it hard for you to see clearly for a moment while your vision adjusted. I shed the top layer of my armour to make my Ne Bunshin and sunk into the ground just before you impaled it. After that, I merely had to wait for you to drop your guard and bound you in those roots you are constricted by."**

"Heh…I lost because my technique was too powerful…figures." Naruko chuckled humourlessly, "Now what?"

"**Now? Now you die."** Kogorō stated as he raised his right arm, **"**_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Ōneji-ra Ne: Ōyari no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Great Twisted Root: Giant Spear Jutsu!)**_**"**

The arm flexed, extended and spun until it formed a large lance-like shape that ended in a wickedly sharp point. The entire construct took up two thirds of the treeman's arm.

"**Any last words, whelp?"** Kogorō asked as he hefted the weapon attachment threateningly.

Naruko looked at him evenly. Then she spat at his feet contemptuously.

"Go to hell, asshole." she snarled at him, "Konoha knows I'm here and they _will_ find out what you did here. Then they will come and burn this whole kami forsaken forest down around your ears! The Hokage himself will rip you to pieces and make you watch as he kills your 'Sae-sama' before your eyes."

"**I fear not the weaklings of a Hidden Village who feel the need to group together in order to feel safe and secure!"** Kogorō roared, **"Nor do I fear a senile old man past his prime! I shall slay him, just as I shall slay you for your gross disrespect! Now, perish!"**

Leaping up high, the treeman flipped over with surprising agility for his size and landed on the dome of roots. Kicking off from the dome moments later, Kogorō sped towards Naruko from above with blinding speed, arm-spear drawn back and ready to strike.

"_**Jishin Tensō! (Earthquake Heaven Spear!)**_**"** Kogorō roared as he slammed the arm-spear into the chest of the immobile Uzumaki Heiress and caused an immense dust cloud to rise up around the two, obscuring all things for many meters around the impact site.

Kogorō straightened after a few moments and raised his weapon to view the tip in confusion. It was completely devoid of blood and, even more perturbing for the retainer, was squashed and bent beyond recognition, as if he had slammed it into the dome that covered the village.

'_What is the meaning of this?_' Kogorō wondered, '_Nothing should be able to stop that technique. I punched through a five foot thick stone wall during the Siege of __Katagi Kijō_ _using that Jutsu before, so what could possibly stop it?_'

Suddenly, an alien presence touched his mind, which made Kogorō catch his breath. It was Sae-sama, using her _**Moriki: Haki Sasayaki no Jutsu (Forest Demon: Leaf Demon Whispering Jutsu)**_ to communicate with him.

"_Kogorō, what are you doing? I sent you to _capture_ the Konoha scum, not _kill_ them!_" Sae demanded within his mind.

"_M-My apologies, Sae-sama, but I had to kill one of them._" Kogorō explained, "_She had a sword that was able to cut the roots of the Akuryō no Moriki. She had to be neutralised._"

"_Impossible!_" Sae exclaimed, "_The roots have never been so much as scratched before!_"

"_Regardless, that is what happened Sae-sama. The blade was even capable of damaging my __**Jaaku Moriki **__form._" Kogorō replied, "_Regrettably, she somehow got away from me, despite the fact I had her bound by roots and tried to impale her with my __**Jishin **__**Tensō**__._"

"_How?_" Sae asked flatly, "_No-one can use a Kawarimi no Jutsu while bound by the roots because of the seals Saeko drew on them and they should be immune to conventional chakra-enhanced strength due to their own chakra enhanced durability. Moreover, your __**Jishin **__**Tensō **__is the strongest physical attack out of all of the Inaba Clan. Nothing should be able to block it directly. She should be skewered like a Dango on a stick right now._"

Kogorō was about to answer when he heard the sound of rapidly flowing water. He looked down at the hole in the ground and saw something that made him curse.

"_Sae-sama, I pierced the ground all the way to the natural underground waterway that supplied Morimura with its water. Can you track the roots that I used to bind the girl?_" Kogorō asked.

"_No, you blithering fool, because you snapped them off of the Akuryō no Moriki when you attacked the girl!_" Sae snapped at him, "_Do you at least have her sword?_"

The retainer looked at where the unusual black bladed Katana had fallen when he had disarmed the whelp. It was gone. Kogorō stared at the spot in disbelief. Was everything going to go wrong when it came to that damned blond whelp?

"_Sae-sama…I-I don't understand how, but the sword is…gone!_" Kogorō stammered, "_I distinctly recall disarming her, but the sword is gone! I know it did not fall into the waterway, it was too far away! I…_"

"_Enough of your inane and foolish babbling, Kogorō!_" Sae snapped irritably, "_The sword could cut the roots of the Akuryō no Moriki, so it is clearly no ordinary weapon. It might have a seal that sends it back to its owners hand after a preset period or something of that nature. _

_Regardless, you have failed me twice today. Firstly by failing to kill the wielder of such a powerful weapon and secondly by allowing the weapon itself to escape you. Please tell me that you have not failed me a __third__ time by allowing the other Konoha Shinobi to have fled before you could capture them?_"

"_I…I am sorry to report that they fled whilst the sword wielder acted as a rearguard, Sae-sama._" Kogorō replied nervously.

Sae was silent for a moment before saying in a flat, emotionless voice that chilled Kogorō to the marrow of his bones, "_Very well. You have failed me three times this day. When you return to the castle, we shall discuss your punishment in person. Get back here on the double._"

"_B-But Sae-sama, what of the other Konoha Shinobi?_" Kogorō asked hesitantly.

"_I cannot see or hear them in the entire forest, so there is only one place they could be._" Sae told him bitingly.

"_The __Rachi no Tanima!_" Kogorō realised in horror. Now there was no way for him to regain honour with Lady Sae.

"_Return, Kogorō. That is an order._" Sae ordered flatly before breaking the connection.

Kogorō sagged for a moment. Lady Sae's punishments were legendary among the Inaba, even before she had become one with the Akuryō no Moriki. This was not going to be a pleasant experience for him.

He regarded the dome with a slight scowl that was visable on the caricature of a face on the Jaaku Moriki shell he wore.

"**KAI!"** he ordered, deactivating the enclosure jutsu now that it was useless, causing the roots to retract back into the ground and exposing the village ruins once again.

'_I bet that brat is laughing herself silly at having outsmarted me yet again, somehow._' he thought sourly.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Underground Waterway**

Naruko fought to keep herself conscious. Her entire body below her neck was throbbing and aching in enormous pain. She was having a hard time thinking straight, the pain was so great. The freezing cold water at a rapid pace was sweeping her along and she could barely keep her head above water in her current condition.

'_Hurts…so much._' she thought fuzzily, barely restraining a whimper of pain.

She had been lucky that Kogorō had aimed at her chest, right at where the centre of her right arm was trapped against her chest. She had read the location where he would strike easily. The main weakness of overly large weapons was that they telegraphed where their user was going to attack. She had cancelled the transformation of En'ō Kago-te, reverting it to its gauntlet form and gambling that the Adamantine would withstand the impact.

It had, but the same couldn't be said for the rest of her body. She could feel that her right arm had multiple breaks in it and she was sure that her ribcage had at least a few fractures and a couple of outright breaks as well. Her back was sore as well, but she wasn't sure whether anything was broken or not.

So, overall, she was wounded worse than she had ever been in her life. And she didn't want to add 'almost drowned' to the list of near death experiences she had been through, so she fought as hard as she could to keep her head above the water, which meant dodging hanging stalactites with only her left arm to steer with.

Time went on, but the tunnel seemed to keep going on, twisting, turning, and even sloping downwards at one point. Naruko was becoming steadily more clearheaded as her Kyuubi-enhanced healing factor worked its usual magic on her injuries, but that only made her more aware of exactly how numb her extremities were becoming due to the ice-cold water.

She was shivering like a leaf, her heart was racing, her breathing was rapid and her skin, what little of it she could see, was becoming very pale, all the symptoms of mild hypothermia. She wasn't sure if the Kyuubi could heal hypothermia or not, but the fact that she didn't know made her _very_ eager to get _out_ of the water, dry off and warm up.

Suddenly, she emerged from the waterway into an immense underground cavern that was at least as big as the Hokage Tower. Naruko didn't pay much attention as the river she now found herself in swept her into a large lake. Shivering, she saw the shore ahead of her and pushed herself into a one-handed forward crawl towards it.

'_Just a little further…come on, move it!_' Naruko urged her body as blackness began to edge in on her vision. She realised that she was losing consciousness as the combination of physical trauma, rapid healing and massive chakra expenditure, combined with the rapid drop in her body temperature caught up with her.

'_I… can't give up here…! I have to…get to…my team!_' Naruko fought her self back to consciousness through sheer willpower alone, '_Have to protect them…Hinata-chan…Ino-chan…Kurenai-sensei…An-chan…have…to…_'

She finally, after what seemed like an eternity, made it to the shore of the lake. She hauled herself up the rough gravel that covered the lake, not feeling able to stand at the moment. With a groan, she flopped onto her back and sucked in deep breaths for a while.

'_Tired…so tired…_' Naruko thought exhaustedly as darkness rapidly overtook her again. The last thing she saw was a figure with black hair and shining azure eyes standing over her silently, before she saw no more.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with Team 8...**

It had taken Kurenai and Anko less than a minute to run up the stonewalls of the elevator to the observation post to see the distant towering form of Kogorō's _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_ smash through the wooden palisade and tromp off into the forest.

"Dear Kami in heaven…Naruko had to fight THAT?" Kurenai exclaimed, "Hinata, what does the village look like now?"

"L-like a worse ruin than it was." Hinata responded shakily, "There a-are several indications of a l-large-scale ninjutsu bombardment near t-the village market's former location. T-there also appears to be a h-hollow shell of roots that s-seems to have been c-cut in half near a large hole in the ground. Before that…_t-thing_…left the clearing, I noted several cut marks on the arms, a-although they were rather shallow, as well as several minor burn marks."

"Sounds like Naruko fought the damn thing to a standstill, at least for a while." Kurenai mused.

The elevator arrived at that moment carrying Ino and Shin'ichi. Anko filled the Elder in in a couple of terse sentences, Ino listening worriedly.

"Hmmm…judging by Kogorō's behaviour, he failed." Shin'ichi muttered, "Had he succeeded, he would have disengaged the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_. That's what he did after the fall of Katagi Kijō, or so a few survivors who escaped claim."

"Then…Naruko's still alive." Ino realise in relief. Hinata let a few tears leak out as she realised her friend was still among the living. Anko steeled herself to show no reaction outwardly, but inside she was dancing with joy that her lover had survived.

Kurenai smiled, "Looks like Naruko is just as stubborn as her mother was reputed to be in the face of overwhelming odds."

"Extraordinary…a _single genin _held Inaba Kogorō at bay for over an hour." Shin'ichi muttered, "Kogorō is the strongest member of the Inaba Clan and Chief Retainer to the Yanagi Clan, so he is entrusted with more jutsu than the regular Inaba Clan members."

"But…where is Naruko-chan?" Ino asked worriedly.

"What is she likely to do, based on what you know of her personality?" Shin'ichi enquired.

Ino deadpanned, "She'll go looking for the Yanagi Clan to beat the crap out of them."

"Hah, good joke. No, really, what's she likely to do?" Shin'ichi asked.

"Flower Girl just told you." Anko said with a sigh, "She hates people like the Yanagi, who show no respect for the dead. Since the Yanagi also sent an assassin after us, she's likely furious with them."

"She's really _that_ reckless?" Shin'ichi asked in astonishment.

"She's young and makes mistakes." Anko shrugged, "She's never really been hurt badly as a result of any of them, so she's never felt the need to learn restraint."

"Well, in which case, we're going to have to move up our timetable." Shin'ichi said determinedly.

"What timetable?" Kurenai asked suspiciously.

"The assassination of Yanagi Sae and Yanagi Saeko." Shin'ichi replied, "I was about to tell you about the plan when we heard about the dome coming down."

"I see." Kurenai said neutrally, "Please, continue, Shin'ichi-sama. I will pass judgement on the plan after I have heard it."

"Ah, well the thing is, this storehouse, wasn't just a storehouse." The Elder replied with a smirk, "The Kashi Clan's First Clan Head had it built, along with a secret tunnel that links up with the wine cellar of Mokuzai Kijō to act as a secret invasion route, just in case. It was built of stone, rock and concrete that was well maintained right up until the day of the Clan's destruction."

"Why didn't the Kashi Clan ever use it?" Ino asked with a frown.

"Apparently the policy was to wait until the Yanagi Clan was split by civil war or besieged by allies before it was used." Shin'ichi replied, "My agent wasn't exactly certain of that, but it fits as well as any explanation of not using a useful resource such as a direct path into the enemy stronghold."

"So, the Yanagi never knew of it's existence?" Kurenai pressed, "And Sae has no idea as to its existence either?"

"I had one of my now-deceased agents copy the master blueprints of the castle and send them to me a month before Sae's coup." Shin'ichi replied, "There was no sign of any tunnel leading out of or into the castle. Just to be safe, I ordered my agent to gain access to the secret blueprints for the castle. Once again, no tunnels were shown. If they aren't on the blueprints, they are either unknown to Sae or they were kept in the Clan Head's Personal Files and she knows and has taken steps to neutralise the tunnel. We have no way of knowing until we try."

Kurenai turned to Anko. "What do you think?" she asked.

"Depends. Why are we killing those two? What's the point? The damn demon tree will still be there."

"True, but there _is_ a point to doing this." Shin'ichi smiled somewhat smugly, "I have received information that Sae has grown more paranoid over the last couple of years. She sees possible betrayal from every member of the Yanagi Clan, but she especially fears betrayal from her sister. She forced Saeko-sama to make modifications to the demon tree that mean that if Sae is killed, the tree will kill Saeko-sama. We can use this to either pressure Saeko-sama to somehow disconnect Sae from the Akuryō no Moriki or kill them both with one stroke.

Either way, we put Sae out of power and we can then send to Konoha for some more ninja to help quarantine the area and evacuate what remains of my people before we attempt to deal with the thrice-be-damned demon tree."

Anko and Kurenai were actually surprised by the old man's cunning and ruthlessness, while Ino and Hinata were far more concerned by the possible location of Naruko to be concerned with local politics.

"Very well." Kurenai conceded, "We'll do it. And there's no better time than the present. Where's the tunnel's entrance?"

"Follow me." Shin'ichi led them back to the elevator, which took them back to the large chamber. He then led them down a gently sloping tunnel that spiralled down until they came to an immense octagonal steel door. It bore the symbol of the Kashi Clan across its entire surface and was bare of any handles, knobs or switches. The only thing that resembled a lock was a small panel to one side.

"The Kashi Clan were very paranoid themselves." Shin'ichi remarked, "Only a member of the Kashi Clan by blood can open this door. Fortunately, my mother was a blood-member of the Kashi Clan, so I can -and have- open this door."

"And the door on the other side?" Kurenai asked.

"The same." Shin'ichi replied.

"I suppose you want to tag along then, Shin'ichi-sama." Kurenai stated resignedly.

"You can bet your Hitai-ate I do." The Elder said fiercely, "My Clan has been destroyed, my people butchered like livestock and my home has been razed into ruins. I need to at least accompany you in order to see the wrongs righted."

Anko put a hand on Kurenai's shoulder, "Nai-chan, let him come. He has the right and he is from a ninja Clan, so he ought to be able to keep up."

"Of course I can." Shin'ichi growled, "I've _forgotten_ more about ninjutsu than you whippersnappers have _ever_ learned."

"Fine." Kurenai was getting tired of constantly being opposed by people with the moral high ground. It made making a decision from a neutral standpoint a living nightmare, "You can come. Here are the rules of engagement. If we come across a member of the Inaba or Yanagi Clans, we kill them before they can use any of their Kinjutsu. Should they use the corpse animation or root binding jutsus, we ignore them and go for the user before they can use the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_. Understood?"

"Hai!" Team 8 plus Shin'ichi responded.

"Good. Then Shin'ichi-sama, if you would?" Kurenai gestured at the panel that seemed to open the door.

The Elder tottered over to the door and ran through a long sequence of handsigns and a low chant in a mumble that none of the kunoichi could make out. Finally, Shin'ichi ended the chant with a shouted, "_**Satori no Tobira: Kaifū! (Door of Enlightenment: Unseal!)**_"

The door shimmered before melting away like liquid mercury, revealing a dark tunnel that stretched into darkness. Shin'ichi walked over to the team looking pleased with himself.

"Whew! I've missed using my chakra, I must say." the retired ninja said with a small smile.

"'Door of Enlightenment'?" Ino asked with a raised eyebrow.

"The brother who built this door was an arrogant so-and-so." Shin'ichi replied, "He viewed any castle and lands governed by him or his family to be far more enlightened than any other, thus the name for the door."

"Let's get moving." Anko said tensely, "The sooner we kill those mad bitches, the sooner we will know what happened to Naru-chan."

Aside from an odd look from Kurenai, no one commented on Anko's repeated use of the '-chan' honorific as they entered the tunnel. As they walked, the Team took in the tunnel. It was a stark, concrete grey tunnel that was utterly dull in it's mediocrity. There was phosphorescent moss across the ceiling that provided absolute minimal lighting for the tunnel, which was economical, if not all that terribly good at actually illuminating the tunnel much.

"I sent men in to maintain the tunnel only last week, although only up to the halfway point." Shin'ichi said in a quiet voice.

"Why only up until there?" Hinata asked in an equally quiet voice.

"There is another door that requires opening. It comes out in an underground cavern and I don't rightly know where the other door is." Shin'ichi confessed sheepishly, "For safety reasons, the map of the tunnel was split into three parts by the Kashi Clan. The Kashi Clan Head, who burnt it before being captured, held one part, the central part. My agents 'acquired' the other two parts from the Clan Heir and the Washigan-Jō Castellan respectively. The door should be relatively easy to spot, however, as it looks exactly like the first two."

"Fair enough." Anko said begrudgingly, "Anything else you've neglected to tell us?"

"Not that I can think of." Shin'ichi replied breezily.

At length, the group came to another door bearing the Kashi Clan symbol and another panel. Shin'ichi once again ran through his long handsign sequence and odd chant, this time ending with a shouted, "_**Hakana no Tobira: Kaifū! (Door of Transience: Unseal!)**_"

The door vanished like the other one had and the team stepped forward into the cavern. It really was quite beautiful, with shining quartz seams in the walls that reflected the sunlight coming from the hole in the ceiling.

"This must be naturally formed from a volcanic eruption." Shin'ichi said in awe, "We are fortunate for this happenstance; the Akuryō no Moriki can only grow in fertile soil."

They were interrupted from further conversation by a shriek of fear from Hinata.

"Hinata? What is it?" Kurenai said worriedly as she came to the side of the distressed girl.

"N-N-N-Naruko-chan!" Hinata sobbed as she pointed at a figure that was barely visible on the bank of the large lake that took up a quarter of the cavern. It was the battered and bruised form of their lost teammate.

Anko was running to her side in a flash, closely followed by the rest of the team. They skidded to a halt next to the shallowly breathing figure of Uzumaki Naruko, Anko using a diagnosis jutsu to scan her for injuries.

"…Shit!" Anko cursed, "That Kogorō bastard is dead meat for this!"

"What's the damage?" Kurenai asked intently.

"For a start, she has mild hypothermia that is bordering on medium," Anko snarled as she used her _**Shōsen no Jutsu**_ on her student's right arm, "Then there's her _actual_ injuries! Her right arm is broken in _three_ different places, her chest has several clean breaks, along with more than a handful of minor fractures! Her spine has several slightly damaged vertebrae, nothing I can't fix though, thank kami. Her internal organs are a bit bruised, but no serious damage, although her leg muscles are slightly torn. What the hell did he _do_ to her to cause this kind of damage?!"

"The gauntlet!" Kurenai said and pointed at the En'ō Kago-te. In the very centre, it had a small dent about a millimetre deep and wide. Anko gaped in astonishment.

"What the _hell_?! What kind of kind of impact could dent _Adamantine_?!" she yelped.

"Adamantine? The legendary metal?" Shin'ichi asked in astonishment, "I thought it was just a myth!"

"It was a gift to her from the Sandaime Hokage, the only Summoner of the Monkey Clan." Kurenai replied, "It was forged of chakra metal and Naruko's own chakra, transforming it into Adamantine. It also transforms into a sword, which is what Naruko used to cut the roots. You can see how the battle left her."

"Nai-chan, she's too weak to move." Anko said urgently, "She needs warmth and healing, in that order."

"Right." Kurenai looked around and saw a crate on one wall near the door they came through, "Hello, what do we have here?"

She walked over and inspected it. The crate was made of metal and emblazoned with the Kashi Clan's symbol. She cautiously opened it with a kunai. The crate was crammed full of camping gear, all standard shinobi issue as of fifty years ago. There was also a large stack of dry wood and tinder to the other side.

"Hinata! Get over here and examine this wood for traps with your _**Byakugan**_ so we can use it to help Naruko!" Kurenai shouted over to her student, who was hovering at Naruko's side. Hinata moved so fast she almost seemed to use the _**Shunshin no Jutsu**_, vanishing from Naruko's side and appearing beside Kurenai.

Hinata quickly examined the entire box in minute detail before declaring it safe. They quickly built a campfire near Naruko and changed her out of her wet clothes once Anko had healed her all she could without exhausting her chakra.

"The campfire isn't enough." Shin'ichi said as he gazed at Naruko's trembling form.

"I can sort that out." Anko said as she devoured a food pill. She ran through an handsign sequence as she knelt next to the campfire.

"_**Katon: Taiyo-Ken no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Heliosphere Jutsu!)**_" she muttered as she breathed a slim jet of fire into the campfire. Almost immediately, there was a marked rise in the temperature of the flames, as well as the range their warmth.

"I'll need to reapply the jutsu in a couple of hour's time." Anko said as she slumped in exhaustion, "Wake me then, 'kay?"

"Okay, Anko-sensei." Ino said softly as she started cleaning the sweat off Naruko's brow as the girl started developing a fever.

Team 8 and their guide sat a vigil around their teammate, who had clearly fought until she could fight no longer, and awaited her awakening.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Unknown Location**

**Naruko's Perspective**

[Drip!]

"Urrrgh…." Naruko groaned as she regained consciousness. Her head was pounding as if someone was using it as a battering ram to break down a castle gate.

She sat up and looked around warily. She…was in a sewer? OK, what the _hell_? The last she could remember, she had been in an underground cavern of some kind. How the hell did she end up here all of a sudden?

She got to her feet and looked around. The place was dark and dank, fetid water was underfoot, yet she wasn't wet, despite the fact she had been lying on top of it. Stranger and stranger. She shrugged and looked around some more.

The sewer seemed to have pipes across the top of the tunnels and Naruko somehow knew where they came from. She turned that way and, lacking a better idea of what to do, started walking that way.

As she walked, Naruko considered the fact she could walk at all, considering the condition she had been in before she blacked out. Hell she should be screaming in agony right now considering her estimation of what her injuries had been.

"Well, I'll take what I can get." Naruko spoke aloud, "And if I'm not in pain, I'll take that, thank you very much."

She kept walking and eventually came to a massive chamber that had pipes across the walls and ceiling. They all led behind a massive set of metal gates that blocked off access to the second half of the chamber. In the centre of the gates was a giant paper tag that had the kanji '**封**' (Seal) written atop of it.

Naruko stood frozen as a wave of the most evil chakra she had ever felt washed over her from behind the bars. An orange glow suddenly sprang into existence and a massive face filled the length and breadth of the bars. The teeth were massive, even the smallest being as big as one of the Konoha gates and Naruko could tell that the teeth were set in a snout.

It was the eyes that drew her attention. They were crimson red and glowed with malevolent power. The face, despite its animal appearance, seemed to be…smirking at her.

Naruko gulped. She had known this day would come eventually, but she hadn't thought it would come so soon.

"Kyuubi no Kitsune." she whispered.

"**Hahahahaha! Indeed!"** a massively deep voice boomed. It was deep and guttural sounding, filled with barely contained rage and hatred, **"I am the mighty Kyuubi no ****Yōko, he who creates natural disasters with his very presence, he whose tails smash mountains and send tsunami crashing to the shores. I am the strongest of the nine Bijū, the mightiest of all beings."**

Naruko felt the Kyuubi's KI blasting her with such strength, she barely held on to consciousness as he spoke the next words.

"**And I am the one sealed in a pathetic, weak excuse for a being such as you."** The Kyuubi growled at her, **"So, my jailer **_**finally**_** decides to visit. What do you want, brat?"**

Naruko took a moment to compose herself, another to think on what she wanted to say. Then she looked the Kyuubi straight in the eyes.

"I want you to tell me who the miserable bastardised son of a bitch who killed my mother is!" she shouted at the Kyuubi.

The Kyuubi regarded her for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Nine Tails and Demon Trees**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Jutsu with their names Emboldened are of my own creation.**

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**Yanagi Kinjutsu: ****Oniki: Meikai Ne Kushizashi no Jutsu - Yanagi Kinjutsu: Demon Tree: Underworld Root Impalement Jutsu**

Rank: A

Type: _Offensive, Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A variant of the __**Meikai Kinone Shibari no Jutsu**__, this version turns the roots into swift, agile spears that seek out and impale the enemy until all of them are dead._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: ****Kinone Kangoku no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Tree Root Prison Jutsu**

Rank: Low-S

Type: _Supplementary, Defensive, Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _The user encases a set area, determined during the initial activation, in a dome composed of multiple layers of roots from the Akuryō no Moriki. Unlike most other Yanagi Kinjutsu, this Jutsu is powered by the chakra of the demon tree itself, as well as Natural Energy, thereby making the dome nigh impossible to so much as scratch. In addition, the roots are so densely and tightly packed that they block out the sun, meaning that those unprepared for it have to let their eyes adjust to the gloom, allowing those who __are__ prepared to strike freely during a moment of vulnerability._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Moriki: Kimoku no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Forest Demon: Demon Eye Jutsu**

Rank: High-S

Type: _Supplementary, Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A Jutsu unique to Yanagi Sae, this allows her to see and hear anything within range of the live leaves of trees that have been corrupted by the Akuryō no Moriki. This is an incredibly risky Jutsu due to the mental feedback it causes, possibly even more that the Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu causes. No sane person should attempt this jutsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Uzumaki-Ryu Kenjutsu: Kaen ****Ittōryōdan - Uzumaki Style Sword Technique: Blazing Single Stroke Bisection**

Rank: Usual Rank: Mid-A. Current Rank when preformed by Naruko: Mid-B, due to lack of control.

Type: _Uzumaki Clan Technique, Kenjutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _The user coats their sword in both fire and wind chakra forming a mini-firestorm around the blade. The user then stabs the opponent with the sword and either cuts the enemy in half vertically or cuts them in half horizontally._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Neki:**** Kara Ne Bunshin no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Root Demon: Hollow Root Clone Jutsu**

Rank: B

Type: _Clone Jutsu, Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A Jutsu only usable when one is in the form granted by the __**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**__. The user separates the topmost layer of root from themselves and create a hollow clone double of themselves, usually to take an attack in order to sneak up on an unsuspecting enemy._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: ****Ōneji-ra Ne: Ōyari no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Great Twisted Root: Giant Spear Jutsu**

Rank: Low-A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Kinjutsu, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A Jutsu only usable when one is in the form granted by the __**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**__. The user shapes an arm into the shape of a giant lance or spear in order to attack the enemy with it._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Jishin Tensō - Earthquake Heaven Spear**

Rank: Low-S

Type: _Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Kinjutsu, Offensive, Inaba Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A Jutsu only usable when one is in the form granted by the __**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**__. The signature technique of Inaba Kogorō, this technique was used to destroy the wall of a castle in a single blow. The user leaps onto the dome of roots above him and pushes off with all of his strength whilst using the __**Oniki: **__**Ōneji-ra Ne: Ōyari no Jutsu**__. The impact is said to be great enough to shatter ten feet thick steel like balsa wood._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Moriki: Haki Sasayaki no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Forest Demon: Leaf Demon Whispering Jutsu**

Rank: S

Type: _Supplementary, Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _A Jutsu unique to Yanagi Sae. Using her connection to the Akuryō no Moriki, Sae can communicate with any person who is also connected to the Akuryō no Moriki. This Jutsu is very draining chakra wise._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Katon: Taiyo-Ken no Jutsu - Fire Style: Heliosphere Jutsu**

Rank: Mid-C

Type: _Supplementary, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A Jutsu developed for use in counties of extreme cold such as Shimo no Kuni and Yuki no Kuni. This Jutsu adds extra temperature to the flames of any regular campfire and expands the sphere of the heat cast by the flames. Requires a good control of Katon Chakra to use._

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	14. Nine-Tails and Demon Trees

**Author's Note: Yo. Here is the Third Chapter of the Living Forest Demon Arc.**

**In this chapter, Naruko has a conversation with the Kyuubi. I hope I did a good job at portraying him, but if I haven't, I'll work on it in future chapters.**

**Now, as to the poll, I am somewhat disappointed. 56 Votes…out of just under 2000 people who viewed the last chapter? People, please bear in mind, the poll is so that you can enjoy your favourite Arcs, in addition to my own Arcs.**

**And can no-one guess Ino's martial art?**

**Finally, to answer a couple of questions, yes, the next Arc is the Lands of Waves Arc. Look forward to it in three chapters time!**

**Now, on with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: If you haven't gotten the idea by now, I can do no more. I don't own Naruto.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 14: Nine Tails and Demon Trees**

**Naruko's Mindscape**

Naruko glared angrily at the Kyuubi as it laughed uproariously as if it was being sprayed with laughing gas.

"Oi! What the hell's so damn funny?!" she shouted angrily.

"**Oh, nothing. Nothing at all!"** the Kyuubi chortled, **"Still brat, what would you do if I told you the identity of the one who dragged me out of my previous host?"**

"I'd track the bastard down and kill him." Naruko stated coldly. The Kyuubi looked at her for a moment.

"**Brat, the person who ripped me from your mother was able to fight on equal terms with the thrice-accursed Yondaime Hokage."** Kyuubi growled, **"You would last less than a second against him as you are now. You barely even survived against that pathetic Hashirama knockoff!"**

"Considering how I've been handicapped all my life, I think I did quite well." Naruko retorted, "And do you think I didn't realise the bastard was strong? He or she killed a room full of some of the best-trained shinobi in Konoha without taking a single wound in return! Of course, a person who could do all that is strong! All I have to do is get stronger!"

"'**Get stronger' is it?"** Kyuubi murmured, **"So, you seek power for the sake of revenge then? Are you so much like the Uchiha brat?"**

"No, I am not." Naruko ground out, "If he came after you once, he'll more than likely come after you again. That means he'll come after _me_. If he comes after me, _my friends _will be drawn into it. No way in _hell_ will I let him hurt them. Over my dead body."

"**Hmmm…you Uzumaki are interesting ones."** The Kyuubi remarked, **"Very different from the damn Uchiha, for all you are related by blood. I want you to listen here, brat. **

**I. Despise. Humans. **

**I hate you all. You have imprisoned the other Bijū into humans in order to create weapons, treating us like mindless monsters. I was controlled by Uchiha Madara's **_**Eien no **__**Mangekyō Sharingan (Eternal Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye)**_** in order to give him the strength to match Senju Hashirama at the Valley of the End.**

**Afterwards, your ancestor, Uzumaki Mito imprisoned me within her, for no better reason than the possibility that I 'might' be used by another Uchiha to attack your pathetic village! I have been either a slave or a prisoner for almost a century and the ones who imprisoned me were YOUR KAMI-FORSAKEN CLAN!"**

The Fox bellowed the last part with such force that Naruko had to stick herself to the ground by channelling chakra to her feet.

The Kyuubi glared down at her. **"As I say, I despise you humans. I despise the Uchiha and Uzumaki more because you both possess jutsu that can control and bind me respectively."**

Naruko recalled something she had read in the Uzu Archives. "You mean my mother's _**Chakra Rensa no Jutsu (Chakra Chain Jutsu)**_, don't you?"

"**It wasn't merely your mothers Jutsu, brat."** Kyuubi replied with a snort at her ignorance, **"Only a select few Uzumaki women in each generation, the ones with the densest and largest chakra reserves, could use it true, but it was not a Jutsu limited to my previous host alone."**

"Huh…wonder why I couldn't find any mention of specific jutsu for it in the Uzu Archive?" Naruko wondered.

"**Because there are no set Jutsu for the chains, fool."** the Kyuubi sneered, **"The chains act according to their owners will. Weapons, barriers…there is little that they cannot do. Including bind me, curse your mother."**

"Don't suppose you know how to activate them, do you?" Naruko asked casually.

"**Do you really think I am stupid enough to tell you that?"** The giant fox asked scornfully.

"No, but it was worth a shot." Naruko replied with a shrug.

"**To return to what I was talking about…I have no reason to help you. I have been treated disgracefully by your clan and a prisoner has no obligation to help his jailor."** The Kyuubi growled.

"I didn't ask you to." Naruko snarled, "Because you were sealed in me, I've been almost assassinated so many times I've lost count!"

"**And it was ****because**** you have me sealed within you that you were able to survive. How about a bit of gratitude, brat?"** the Kyuubi snarled back at her.

"Thanks!" Naruko said, "But in case you didn't know, this seal will kill you _permanently_ if I die an unnatural death!"

"**Of course I know that, brat! I can feel the tethers of the thrice accursed Shinigami on my soul!"** the fox shot back at her.

"Then you should have the common sense to realise that hindering me will get you killed along with me!" Naruko said angrily, "And don't try and bullshit me, I read my mother's journal! I _know_ that you've been interfering with my chakra control!"

"**Humph…so you did your research…so what?" **the fox snarled, **"As long as your heart is intact and your head remains connected to your shoulders, my chakra can and will heal you. You don't need to be strong, you simply need to survive."**

"Gah, will you just stop being so damn _awkward_!" Naruko said angrily, "The maths is simple. _I_ die, _you_ die. If I have to constantly wrestle with you for every bit of control I can get, I am far more likely to die! Why the hell are you so determined to cut off your own nose to spite your face, dumb fox?!"

The Kyuubi narrowed his eyes at Naruko dangerously. **"Be careful how you address me, brat. I am far older than you can imagine and have seen more pain and suffering than you can possibly comprehend."** he growled, **"I'm fairly certain that merely reciting a few of the more agonising instances would rip your sanity into pieces!"**

"Tch. I am Uzumaki Naruko and I can do worse to you!" She said defiantly.

"**THAT I sincerely doubt."** the Kyuubi said dismissively.

"Oh, that does it!" Naruko muttered with a twitching eyebrow, "_Now_ you've asked for it. _**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

Two hundred Naruko-Clones phased into existence. The Kyuubi merely raised an eyebrow.

"**A measly two hundred clones are not going to impress me, brat."** he informed his jailor haughtily.

"Ladies." Naruko said with a positively evil smile, "Operation 'Green Death', if you please."

"_**Henge no Jutsu!**_" the Naruko-clones chanted as they vanished in plumes of chakra smoke. The Kyuubi continued to watch bemusedly.

When the smoke cleared, the Kyuubi's jaw dropped. Standing there were a hundred copies of Rock Lee and an equal number of copies of Maito Gai. That on its own would be bad enough, but Naruko had added a twist: they were only clad in red fundoshi (loincloths).

"Commence operation!" Naruko ordered.

The Gai-clones charged at the Lee-clones enthusiastically, while the Lee-clones charged enthusiastically at the Gai-clones. When they met, 100 almost naked manly hugs were exchanged….

…to the backdrop of 100 setting suns on beaches!

The great Kyuubi no Kitsune, who had indeed seen more than his fair share of horrible and disgusting things in his long lifetime, stared in horror at the sight before him both repulsed and unable to look away.

Naruko grinned and the clones vanished in a great explosion of smoke. It took the fox a moment or two to recover, but when he did, he glared at the smirking kunoichi.

"**You…are a vile, sadistic, ****evil**** bitch."** he accused her, sounding almost impressed.

"Considering one of my sensei is the most sadistic kunoichi in Konoha, I'll take that as a complement." Naruko replied smugly.

"**Humph."** the Kyuubi snorted, **"Fine, brat. You want my cooperation, do you? Pass three tests and I'll cooperate. Fail even ****one**** and you are stuck as you are."**

"Oh?" Naruko raised an eyebrow, "And those three tests would be…_what_ exactly?"

"**The tests will begin once you've dealt with that fucking so-called 'demon tree'."** Kyuubi informed her, **"For this time, and this time only, I will lend you power, my chakra, for free and with no demerits."**

"Why?" Naruko asked suspiciously.

"**I knew the Rikudō Sennin. This…**_**abomination**_** of a tree bears some of his chakra, even after all these years."** the fox replied, **"He was the only human I ever respected and I cannot and will not allow his chakra to be misused like this for a purpose he would disapprove of. Towards that end, I will cooperate with you. As a gesture of good faith…here."**

Knowledge flowed into Naruko's mind, the knowledge of a powerful Katon ninjutsu.

"**My two nature affinities are Fire and Wind."** the Kyuubi informed her, **"Wind will not be useful against the cursed tree, but Fire will be. Sadly, your repertoire is pathetic and your affinity is weak, so this will be a useful tool for you, although you can only use it once before the knowledge fades. Now Begone, I tire of your presence."**

Before she could protest, a strong wave of chakra swept her out of the mindscape. The Kyuubi lay down and closed his eyes, dreaming of the day that he would be free of being caged.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Midway Point of the Kashi Clan Secret Tunnel**

**2 Hours After the Discovery of Naruko.**

"Why won't she wake up?" Ino asked worriedly as she wiped more sweat form Naruko's brow. Hinata soaked another cloth in water to clean it nearby.

"Her body has been put under immense levels of stress." Anko replied, "The fight with that Kogorō bastard, whatever attack caused that dent in her gauntlet, almost drowning in the water, catching hypothermia…it's a wonder she's doing as well as she is."

"Quite." Morimura Shin'ichi agreed. The elderly ex-ninja had been tending the campfire as he spoke, ensuring it was topped off with more fuel. He sat down on a rock with a sigh before continuing, "Your teammate possess a level of physical resilience that most seasoned shinobi would envy. Even in my prime, I doubt I could have matched her."

Kurenai passed out some rations bars to everyone. "Still, this is worrying. She has never taken this long to recover from an injury before. Her healing factor usually takes care of things quickly."

"Too…much…damage…to heal…quickly." Naruko croaked, startling the entire team.

"Naruko-chan?" Hinata asked tremulously.

Naruko smiled tiredly. "In…the flesh…" she replied.

"Why is it that the moment we let you out of our sight, you manage to get wounded so badly?" Ino asked sternly, although the tears of relief falling from her eyes undermined the tone of her voice.

"Natural…talent?" Naruko joked, "…Water…please…?"

Anko gently raised the girl's head and put a canteen to her lips. Naruko gulped down half the canteen before her thirst was sated.

"Naruko, I know you are tired, but we have to know how you got into this condition." Kurenai said gently, "Can you tell us what happened?"

The Uzumaki Heiress nodded. "I…after you all retreated; he emerged from the ground as a …_thing_. I'd call him a treeman if I had to describe him. During the first clash between us, I was knocked through several buildings. Damn bastard packs quite a punch. Not very agile though.

I hit him with Doryū Taiga, followed by almost every jutsu I know, multiple times via my Shadow Clones…and he just used _one_ of his root jutsus to destroy all of my clones as if he wasn't even affected by it."

Anko cursed, "I knew we should have given you a B-Rank Jutsu or two to learn!"

"Meh, doubt it would have made a difference." Naruko replied, "He was strong, stronger than I am at the moment…anyway, after he pulled that dome Jutsu out of his ass, he and I fought in close combat for a while. My _**Kongōgatana **_was able to cut the roots that made up his body, but only shallowly because they were packed so tightly together. I didn't try to cut any tendons because; frankly I don't think he had any to cut."

"From what I have found out, the user of the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_ is protected beneath countless layers of roots in the centre of the chest." Shin'ichi put in.

Naruko looked at him confusedly. "Who…?"

"Ah, my apologies. I am the former Elder of Morimura Village." Shin'ichi said with a cordial nod of his head, "Morimura Shin'ichi, charmed to meet you."

"Uzumaki Naruko. The same." Naruko returned the nod.

"Carry on Naruko. What happened?" urged Kurenai. Ino and Hinata were also listening avidly.

The Uzumaki Heiress sighed. "I decided to end it with a single attack, one I…can't use all that well yet. It backfired on me. My _**Uzumaki-Ryu Kenjutsu: Kaen **__**Ittōryōdan (Uzumaki Style Sword Technique: Blazing Single Stroke Bisection)**_ was too damn powerful and blinded me for a moment. He replaced himself with a root clone and waited for me to strike and let my guard down before he disarmed me and bound me with those damn roots. My own self confidence was my downfall."

"Lesson learned?" Anko asked with a scowl.

"Definitely." Naruko said fervently, "No using jutsu I haven't mastered in actual combat!"

"Good." Anko nodded, "Now, what the hell damaged your gauntlet?"

Naruko raised her -thankfully fully healed- right arm and looked at the dent in it in shock. "What the…oh hell, I am _so_ lucky I managed to block that Jutsu with the En'ō Kago-te, but Enki-san is gonna murder me for damaging it so badly!"

"Enki?" Shin'ichi asked.

"The Master Armour Blacksmith of the Monkey Clan." Naruko replied, "Anyway, Kogorō turned his arm into a spear of some kind and used a powerful technique called _**Jishin**_ _**Tensō**_."

"The fortress breaker!" Shin'ichi gaped in astonishment, "Inaba Kogorō used that technique to break through the walls of Katagi Kijō, five feet of stone, mortar and concrete. It is the strongest physical attack in the Inaba Clan's arsenal!"

"Huh…well there's a thing." Naruko looked curious for a moment, and then shrugged. "Well, he made several errors. First, he bound my right arm over my chest when he caught me, and aimed for it during his attack. Secondly, my left hand was still free to make a handsign in order to cancel the transformation of the En'ō Kago-te. And thirdly, he trapped me right above the underwater waterway, so when the gauntlet blocked his attack, which was also partially absorbed by the roots trapping me, the ground beneath me crumbled and sent me into the water, eventually washing me up here."

Kurenai shook her head in wonderment. "You may berate yourself for your overconfidence, Naruko, but in my opinion you fought valiantly against a foe which you knew nothing about. Despite your lack of knowledge, you did manage to damage his body to the point that he was forced to shed a layer of his roots in order to defeat you. THAT was well done, Genin Uzumaki."

Naruko teared up a bit at her sensei's compliment. "Arigatou, Kurenai-sensei." she whispered, before tiredness overcame her and she drifted off to sleep.

"She must be exhausted." Ino whispered as she unsealed a blanket and covered her friend up to let her get some sleep.

"I think we could all use some rest." Kurenai remarked, "Let's use the camping equipment left by the Kashi Clan and get some sleep. I'll take first watch."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - 1 Hour Later**

**Research Lab, Basement, Mokuzai Kijō**

A faint scream ripped through the lab from the room above, causing a black haired woman working at a bench to raise her head to look at the ceiling. The woman wore a plain grey kimono, with the crest of the Yanagi Clan emblazoned on the back. Although the kimono was plain to the point of being drab, it did not detract from the woman's natural beauty or grace when she moved.

"Sounds like Sae-nee-sama is still punishing Kogorō." the woman mused aloud as she tucked a lock of her neck length hair behind her each reflexively before returning to her work on the bench before her.

The screaming stopped a minute or so later and the woman sighed again as she moved towards the small lab's door. She knew what would happen next.

"SAEKO! Get your useless carcass up here right now!" An angry female voice bellowed from above her.

Yanagi Saeko rolled her eyes at how predictable her elder sister had become. She walked up the stairs and entered her sister's room without bothering to knock.

Within, Sae, dressed in yet another expensive silk kimono, stood above the shaking form of Inaba Kogorō, wielding the Yanagi Clan Leader's Honour Blade, the Nagamaki _Suiyō _(Weeping Willow). She placed the edge of the blade against Kogorō's throat, making the man freeze.

"Now, Kogorō. Do you understand the price if you fail me again?" Sae asked him softly.

"H-Hai…Sae-sama…I will not fail you again…I swear it!" Kogorō gasped hoarsely.

"Good." Sae purred. Saeko looked at the ground, not wanting to see the look of ecstasy and pleasure that she knew her sister was wearing on her face. She was a sadist of the worst kind, enjoying not just people's pain and suffering and causing it, but also forcing them into the depths of despair while doing it.

Sae picked up the black saya from the sword stand and sheathed Suiyō. She then regarded Saeko with her mad azure eyes.

"Saeko, I need you to strengthen the roots." Sae ordered her imperiously, "One of the Konoha scum has a weapon that can cut them. This _fool_-" here she sneered down at the cowering Kogorō, "-let her flee and couldn't even take her weapon!"

Saeko carefully considered what she was going to say here. The last time she had bluntly stated that something Sae wanted her to do was impossible, she had been beaten unconscious.

"That…might be more difficult than you might imagine, Ane-ue (Elder Sister)." Saeko said at last, "The roots are already strengthened to their limit, and the bark cannot be strengthened either if we want to continue to use them for the Yanagi Kinjutsu. The only way I could improve them would be to retract all of the roots and enhance them from the ground up, which would take at least a year."

Sae's beautiful face twisted in anger. "I don't want your snivelling excuses, I want results!" she shrieked at Saeko in fury.

"Ane-ue, I am only telling you the truth. Morisato Kazenotsuchi himself could not do more." Saeko replied impassively, "I have, however, finished the development of two new jutsu which might be of use."

"…Humph." Sae grunted, not happy that her insane idea couldn't be implemented, but mollified by the 'bribe' of two additional jutsu to the Yanagi's arsenal, "Is everything in place for the Tairiku-Rin Keikaku (Continental Forest Plan)?"

Saeko stiffened at that name. "Y-Yes, Ane-ue, although we still require the Konoha Shinobi in order to generate the Natural Energy required to commence the plan." she said haltingly.

"A simple matter." Sae said dismissively, "Sooner or later they will attack us here. They cannot escape as long as the kekkai remains up and so they will come to us, like moths to the flame."

Sae's eyes blazed with fanaticism as she spoke, her large chest heaving as she began to rant about how the Yanagi would soon rule the world, etc, etc. Saeko just tuned her out.

She had far too much practice at it after a decade of hearing them on a nearly constant basis.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The Next Day, 21.00 (9.00 pm)**

**With Team 8**

Naruko was feeling loads better the next day, thanks to the Kyuubi's chakra, she was sure. After meeting him, she was conflicted about how she felt about him. On one hand, he was the one who had attacked Konoha twelve years ago, killing and maiming hundreds.

On the other hand, it was clear that the Kyuubi had insinuated that it had been an Uchiha who had ripped him out of her mother, at least that was what Naruko guessed by his repeated references to the Uchiha Clan's ability to control him. He also bore resentment towards her clan for supplying his 'prisons' for the last hundred years.

'_Considering that when I die, my Clan will be extinct, he really should let that go._' she thought dryly as she ran through an intermediate level kata to loosen her muscles after the beating she had received the previous day.

'**I still despise the Uchiha Clan even though there are so few of them left, brat. What makes your Clan any different?'** A voice said inside her head, making Naruko freeze in shock.

'_K-Kyuubi? You can speak to me outside my mindscape?_' she thought in shock.

'**Obviously. To answer your question, yes, it was an Uchiha who controlled me.'** Kyuubi responded, **'He claimed to be Uchiha Madara, but it wasn't him. I would recognise that bastard Madara's chakra anywhere and it wasn't his.'**

'_Would you have attacked Konoha if you had been released, but not controlled?_' Naruko asked him.

'**No, I would not.'** he said firmly, **'While I despise humans, I do not kill them unless they either attack me, anger me or both. Although Konoha was cutting it close to that line by keeping me prisoner for a century, I wouldn't have attacked the village given any choice in the matter.'**

'_Huh…you're a lot more honourable than the legends about you say._' Naruko commented.

'**I am a Kitsune and thus bound by the strictures of my kind.'** the Kyuubi replied haughtily, **'Just as most of the other Bijū are bound by their species' strictures. You are slightly influenced by me in that regard.'**

'_Say what?_' Naruko asked in astonishment.

'**When was the last time you broke a promise?'** Kyuubi asked silkily, **'Your mischievous side is also increased somewhat by the trickster nature of Kitsune.'**

'_Okay…I'll leave that for the moment._' Naruko told him, '_Even if only because we're going to infiltrate the enemy stronghold soon. Thanks for the rapid healing, by the way._'

'…**You're welcome.'** The Kyuubi replied shortly. Naruko got the impression that he hadn't been thanked by either her mother or Mito for anything.

Choosing to ignore the fox demon's reaction for the moment, Naruko told him, '_I'll contact you like this again when I need your chakra. Alright?_'

'**Hm. Do as you please.'** Kyuubi said shortly before falling silent.

"Naruko-chan! Dinner!" Hinata called to her from the campfire.

The team had decided to infiltrate at night, rather than in the middle of the day. They had spent the day maintaining and inventorying their equipment, resting and, in Naruko's case, running through every one of the kata that she knew and ensuring that her body was completely recovered from the battering ram that she was hit with the previous day. She rested frequently and was pleased to see that her body was back at the pinnacle of health.

"Coming!" Naruko replied. She put the Fox out of her mind. She'd tell Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei after the mission was completed. They couldn't afford any distractions right now.

With that thought, Naruko trotted off to have dinner, which was _not_ ration bars, thank kami.

"Hey Ji-san, gotta question for you." Naruko said after they finished.

Shin'ichi, rather than be offended, looked amused. "Ask away. Answering a question is the least I can do for one who fought Inaba Kogorō to a stalemate for a hour." he said with a chuckle.

Naruko flushed. "Ummm…it's just I was wondering how much you know about these Kinjutsu the Inaba and Yanagi use. That Kogorō-teme used two kinds, _**Neki **_and _**Oniki**_. What's the difference?"

"Ah, an interesting question." The Elder replied, "There are three tiers of the Yanagi Kinjutsu. At the bottom are the _**Neki**_, or Root Demon, techniques. These are either not very powerful, flawed in some way or require a permanent sacrifice of roots in order to use, which is discouraged. From what you have said regarding the Ne Bunshin he used against you yesterday, it was definitely classed as a _**Neki**_ because of the third reason."

"Okay." Naruko nodded.

"Next are the _**Oniki**_, or Demon Tree, Techniques." Shin'ichi continued, "They are ones that have been approved for general use by the majority of the Inaba Clan, although some are restricted to the higher ranks within the Inaba. Most of the Kurai Kōken'nin were forcibly transformed using the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_, but the four elite members of the Inaba Clan can use the Jutsu and revert from it back to their human forms. They can all use the _**Jishin**_ _**Tensō**_ as well, but none can use it with the skill and strength that Kogorō can put behind it."

"So I basically fought the strongest guy in the entire damn clan? Man, does my luck suck or what?" Naruko commented.

"You will not be fighting him alone again." Anko told her sternly.

Naruko looked at her lover steadily. "Anko-sensei, I'm the only one who _can_. My sword is the only thing that can cut the roots and Jutsu are all but useless against him. All of my Jutsu put together just made him mad. Not hurt, not wounded, _mad_. I doubt B-Ranks will have much greater effect than C-Ranks." she said calmly.

"Genjutsu will be ineffective as well due to the constant strong chakra flow there seems to be between the user and the roots." Kurenai said dejectedly, "And I don't want to risk Ino's mind by risking her using the _**Shintenshin no Jutsu **_on someone directly connected to the demon tree."

"Besides, we'll be fighting in his turf this time." Naruko pointed out, "You will all need a distraction in order to get to Saeko and Sae." She had been told of the assassination plan not long after she woke up that morning.

Anko grumbled and looked away with a pout.

"Carry on, Shin'ichi-ji-san." Naruko told the man, who had been watching the exchange with interest.

"Right." The Elder said, "The third and final tier is the _**Moriki**_, or Forest Demon, techniques. These are used solely by the few remaining members of the Yanagi Clan. They are powerful, chakra intensive and very difficult to use. There are certain techniques that Sae keeps to herself and there are certain others that Saeko has concealed from her, but the ones at Sae's command are mostly techniques for wide area spying within the forest and a couple that turn the forest into a living weapon against intruders, very few anti-personnel Jutsu.

She is, however, an accredited master at using a Nagamaki. She has not lost a fight whilst wielding one in the past decade."

"A what now?" Naruko asked.

"A Nagamaki. In layman's terms, it's a Nodachi with a handle just as long as the blade. Technique wise it can be used for sword techniques, spear techniques, even a couple of axe techniques."

"So it's a complicated weapon, both to wield and to fight against." Anko muttered.

"Quite. Whereas, while she hates combat, Saeko-sama is very skilled at Sōjutsu (Spear Martial Arts). Not up to her sister's level, but not to be taken lightly either." Shin'ichi added, "Each of them uses an Honour Weapon of the Clan. Sae wields Suiyō and Saeko wields Ryūshi (Dragon's Tooth)."

"Is there anything special about the weapons? Any special abilities or seals?" Kurenai asked.

"No, they are merely weapons of exceptional quality." The Elder replied.

"Good. Something we don't have to worry about at least." Kurenai said, "I swear, this is the most screwed up mission I've _ever _been on. Lying clients, insane dictators, insanely powerful shinobi, demon trees…nobody will believe me if I tell them…if Hokage-sama allows me to tell anyone once this mission is over. What a headache."

"Yeah, we probably won't even get paid for this." Ino said with a frown.

"When the Yanagi have fallen, Konoha can take the equivalent of two S-Rank missions pay from the coffers of the Yanagi Clan." Shin'ichi replied, with an understanding look on his face. Shinobi don't work for free after all.

"And on that note, let's go find that door." Naruko said as she stood up and stretched lightly, "Times-a-wasting!"

The door, as it turned out, was concealed behind a wall of false rock on the opposite side of the cavern. Hinata spotted it as soon as she activated her Kekkei Genkai.

"Hmmm…good thing that the opening sequence is the same for all of the doors." Shin'ichi muttered before beginning the handsigns and the chant, ending this time with, "_**Rin'ne no Tobira: Kaifū! (Door of Transmigration: Unseal!)**_"

As before, the door melted away, revealing a dark tunnel ahead.

The shinobi entered the tunnel silently as they would soon be coming close to enemy occupied territory. As they walked, they kept an eye out for traps that might have been set by either the Kashi Clan, to keep out the Yanagi Clan, or by the Yanagi Clan to keep the Kashi Clan out.

Suddenly Naruko's gauntlet lit up and she stiffened. "Genjutsu!" she hissed. All members of the team disturbed their chakra flow and restarted it, revealing a large pit in the floor before them.

Hinata activated her _**Byakugan**_ at Kurenai's gesture and peered at the hole before smiling. "It's a-alright. The hole isn't t-there. It's a v-variation of _**Magen: Nijū Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Double Optic Delusory Jutsu)**_. We need to dispel the s-second layer."

Once they had cleared the second layer, they began to advance more cautiously.

"How could that genjutsu still be active?" Naruko asked, "The original caster must be long dead."

"If a genjutsu is tied to a location and is powered by chakra storage seals, then, if the genjutsu is maintained at low power as that one was, it can last quite some time, especially if the chakra storage seals are topped off every now and again." Kurenai responded quietly.

"Man, I never would have thought a Clan unaffiliated with a Hidden Village like the Kashi Clan would be so skilled with seals." Anko mused.

Shin'ichi snorted. "They weren't. They hired a kunoichi of another Clan to do it for them. Swore the woman to secrecy afterwards."

"Surprised they didn't kill her." Anko commented.

"They didn't dare. She was from a powerful Clan who could have handily defeated all four of the Morimura Clans with ease, although I was unable to discover the name of that Clan." Shin'ichi replied.

"It was probably the Uzumaki Clan." Naruko said, "I saw some spiral patterns on the wall. Uzumaki Seals always resemble spirals once they are complete."

"Wow. Pretty distinctive mark." Ino commented.

"That was the entire point." Naruko replied, "It was so when enemies saw the spiral, they would automatically proceed much, much slower because of my Clan's reputation with seals. We could, and did, come up with some innovative trap seals that made the Uzumaki feared throughout the nations. Not to mention the other aspects of Fūinjutsu that my clan explored."

"Yeah, but isn't that also why they were wiped out?" Anko pointed out.

Naruko nodded. "Yeah, people feared us because they couldn't understand Fūinjutsu that well. Combined with our skill at battle, it obviously spooked Kiri, Kumo and Iwa enough to launch a surprise attack on us as the first blow of the Third Great Ninja War. That's why I'm the last of my Clan."

Silence reigned in the tunnel after Naruko's words hit them like a punch to the gut. She was alone, no family, no Clan, and they had just bypassed -and most likely destroyed- one of the few remaining examples of their work left in the world.

"Naruko-chan…" Hinata said hesitantly.

"It's OK, Hinata-chan." Naruko interrupted her before she could say anything more, "My Clan were all killed before I was born. I never knew them. I wish that I did, but I don't. It's hard to miss something that you never knew, y'know?"

Ino wiped a small tear away from her eye as she heard this. Naruko was resigned to being alone and without a Clan. Combine that with what she put up with from the villagers on a daily basis and it was a wonder she was sane at all.

Further conversation was halted by Naruko hissing, "The door's just ahead!"

Shin'ichi proceeded to open it with his muttered chanting and unusual handsigns, ending with a spoken, "_**Tao no Tobira: Kaifū! (Door of The Way: Unseal!)**_"

The door melted away like all the others, only this time, all the shinobi were tensed and prepared to attack in case of an ambush. Fortunately, there were no enemy ninja on the other side of the door, just row upon row of dusty wine bottles, neatly stacked according to age.

"There has to be millions of ryo worth of wine here…just in this one aisle." Anko whispered. She was an expert at wines and alcoholic beverages in general.

"Steal it. The Yanagi aren't going to be drinking it anytime soon." Naruko whispered back and chucked ten storage scrolls over to her sensei, who caught them, grinned back at her and began to do just that.

"Anko! Naruko!" Kurenai whispered in a scandalised tone.

"Sensei, this counts as part of operations against the enemy by robbing them of a potential source of income." Naruko replied, "By the strictures of the Konoha Shinobi Field Operation Manual, Anko-chan-sensei is committing no crime."

Kurenai was surprised at Naruko's knowledge of the FOM, but reminded herself that Naruko did use her shadow clones to do the studying for her, so the FOM was almost inevitably going to be a part of that study course.

Kurenai was a _very_ moral person. She didn't approve of lecherous behaviour by males, stealing by her comrades or anything that made kunoichi seem weaker or lesser in her opinion. She had quietly, but firmly, made her opinion known to everyone she was teamed up with since making chunin and, strangely enough, those things did not happen on any missions she was on.

Therefore, she was torn by what Naruko and Anko were doing. On one hand, her knee-jerk reaction was to hit them with a genjutsu and lecture them for immoral acts. On the _other_ hand, Naruko was merely following the Konoha Shinobi FOM on dealing with a powerful and entrenched enemy that had limited influence outside of its own area.

"We will talk about this after the mission, Naruko." Kurenai told her student, reluctantly delaying the matter for a later, less danger fraught, time.

Naruko's only response was a shrug. She created a dozen Shadow Clones to store the bottles in the scrolls, which seemed to hold far more than any other storage scrolls Kurenai had seen before.

"Uzushiogakure-pattern Plunder Storage Scrolls." Naruko had replied when questioned, "I carry about twenty with me, in case we have to do a house moving mission, although this is more what their original purpose was."

Once the cellar had been thoroughly plundered, Naruko began unsealing and handing out small boxes to her clones.

"Special party favours." she said mysteriously when Anko asked her what was in them.

Kurenai stared at the girl, her crimson eyes narrowing dangerously. "Genin Uzumaki, just what are you planning to do?" she asked calmly.

"Why, I'm going to blow the castle up, Kurenai-sensei." Naruko replied, as if the answer was obvious, "Not all at once, but enough to cause chaos, confusion and not a little discord. My biggest prank yet!"

"I do not recall approving that plan, Genin Uzumaki." Kurenai said frostily.

"Can anyone _else_ here hide from twenty chunin, ten jonin and two teams of ANBU for five hours? No? Then I'm the best one to run a distraction mission, both for my stealth skills and because I can use the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ to a degree that even Tobirama-Ōoji (Great Uncle) couldn't."

"Hate to admit this, but Naru-chan has a point." Anko put in, making Kurenai give her friend a sour look, "Hey, don't you be giving me that look Nai-chan! I'm just pointing out that Naru-chan's right."

'_Why is it that I constantly have to give in to the will of others since I took this team?_' The crimson-eyed Jonin thought tiredly.

"I…am reluctant to agree here." Kurenai said at last, "But you have a point Naruko. I will permit you to go on the distraction portion of the mission, under two conditions. First, you use your Shadow Clones as much as possible. Second, you do not engage in combat when at all possible. Set the tags, retreat to a safe distance, set them off then get out of the area. No showboating, no grandstanding, none of your usual -pre and -post prank behaviour. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei. Wait until the explosions start before you move. I'll set some up far away from here, at the gates and wall first." Naruko responded with a nod. She looked at her clones, who all nodded.

"Well then ladies, I think we should show the Yanagi Clan why you always finish off an opponent while they're down!" Naruko said with a grin.

"Right boss!" The clones whispered and they, plus Naruko, vanished in clouds of smoke to be replaced by several spiders, mice and rats.

Kurenai stared. What was this girl thinking?

"Naruko, the _**Henge no Jutsu **_is just an illusion. It doesn't actually change your shape." she said in a lecturing manner.

The Naruko-mice and Naruko-rats turned around, flipped their tails at her and sped off into a crack in the plaster wall, leaving all of the remaining shinobi gaping at the wall.

"I think that needs to be added to the list of things we need to talk to her about, Nai-chan." Anko said faintly.

Kurenai nodded faintly.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - 1 Hour Later**

**Mokuzai Kijō, Main Gate, Gate Watch**

The three soldiers on guard at in the second story of the Main Gate of the Yanagi's stronghold were not ninja, nor were they samurai. They were peasant conscripts, Ashigaru, equipped with light armour on the chest, arms, legs and head, as well as spears and bows. They had a pair of braziers on each side of the platform, both for illumination and to light a Hiya (fire arrow) to signal an attack.

Against mere villagers, fellow Ashigaru and even regular Samurai from the Fire Daimyo, these precautions were adequate, if only barely.

They were, however, _completely_ insufficient against infiltration by a shinobi, especially one with the skill of one Uzumaki Naruko and her endless army of one. Evidently, security had been downgraded after the destruction of the other rival clans and then Morimura Village.

The first explosive tag blew up the entire gatehouse, instantly killing the three soldiers and sending the flaming debris to the ground, blocking the gate from both sides.

The next targets to explode were the four Yagura (Turrets) at the corners of the curtain walls, killing any soldiers stationed within. The explosions caused the towers to collapse in on themselves, ruthlessly denying the occupants any hope of fleeing the burning and broken fortification.

Confusion was abound as the roaming Ashigaru guards attempted to run to their comrades' aid, only to be blow up by tags that were placed along the exact path that they took to the nearest blazing Yagura.

In her private set of rooms, Yanagi Sae jerked to wakefulness at the sound of the first explosion. She leapt up from her bed, stark naked, and hurriedly put on a robe and gathered her hair into a loose ponytail before sweeping out to her main chambers.

"Kogorō! Report!" she shrieked.

Kogorō faded into view in the doorway. "Sae-sama, we are under attack!" he reported, "The gatehouse and the Yagura are destroyed and the entire courtyard has been bob trapped by explosive tags!"

"It must be the Konoha scum!" Sae hissed, "Kogorō! Mobilise the _**Inaba Yon Shugokamigami**_! _**(The Inaba Four Guardian Deities)**_"

"Unfortunately, I am the only one left, Sae-sama." Kogorō replied, "Each of the others were in one of the Yagura when they exploded, as per your instructions."

"Useless fools!" Sae raged, "Fine! _You_ go and find out what in Kami's name is going on! I'll be in the Communion Chamber."

"Hai, Sae-sama!" Kogorō faded to nothing as he departed.

Sae, in a rage fit to be tied, hurriedly dressed in her battle outfit. A green hakama, tied at the ankles, and a white kimono with the symbol of the Yanagi Clan over her heart and on the back.

Then she added the _Kote_ (arm armour), _Haidate_ (thigh armour), _Suneate_ (waist armour), _Sode_ (shoulder armour) and a steel _Dō_ (Cuirass) emblazoned with the Yanagi Clan Symbol in the centre.

Before she left her room, she grabbed her Nagamaki, Suiyō, from it's stand. If the Konoha scum dared to invade her castle and attack her divine personage, she would cut them to pieces like the weeds that they were.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Kogorō**

Inaba Kogorō sped down the corridor leading to the main entrance of the castle, his mind racing, trying to figure out who was responsible for the attack.

'_The exploding tags were set up to cause the maximum amount of damage,_' Kogorō considered, '_The gatehouse collapsed on both sides of the gate, meaning the non-shinobi will have a hard time leaving before the gate burns down. The Yagura were taken out to reduce the over-watch capabilities of the Ashigaru guards and the grounds mined to make it vastly more difficult to move help to the Yagura in time to help anybody._'

Clearly, the person or, vastly more likely, person_s _responsible for this chaos were highly accomplished at stealth and at traps to have accomplished all this, even with the reduced security at the castle's curtain wall.

Kogorō was shaken from his thoughts by an immense explosion that seemed to shake the entire castle. He halted as more explosions rocked the very hallway he was in. They seemed to be getting closer to his position.

[BOOM!]

The corridor he was in exploded not a hundred paces behind him, blocking the way back. Kogorō swore colourfully. Now he was cut off from the only entrance to the basement and thus Sae-sama and Saeko-sama!

Another explosion, this time about fifty paces behind him, galvanised him into motion. He ran pell-mell down the corridor as the explosions grew closer. The Chief Retainer of the Yanagi Clan barely made it into the main entry hall before the final explosion caved in the entrance to the main area of the ground floor, which also sent him sprawling onto the floor by the force of the blast, not to mention the numerous flying pieces of burning wood that struck him.

Kogorō turned the air blue as he regained his footing, cursing all the while. The three other explosions closing off the other entrances to the left and right wings of the castle, not to mention the main gate, made him curse even more. Now he was trapped in the damned entrance hall! He'd have to smash a wall in order to get out of here!

"Man, are you a mess or what, Kogorō-teme?" a voice asked contempt fully from above him. He froze. He knew that voice! Slowly, he turned around and looked up in disbelief to view the person who had spoken.

Uzumaki Naruko perched on the wall, looking down at him in amusement. She was, Kogorō noted incredulously, absolutely unchanged from her appearance the previous day. No wounds covered her body, no cuts on her clothing, not even a bruise marred her face.

"You…!" he snarled, "_You_ did all this?!"

"What was your first clue, teme?" Naruko sneered at him before jumping off of the wall, twisting in midair so that when she landed to Kogorō's rear, she was still facing him.

"How did you get past the guards, Hidden Village scum!" Kogorō snarled as he whirled to face her again.

"You call _those guys _'guards'?" Naruko asked with a raised eyebrow, "They were easy to sneak past. I barely had to try. You really should have invested in better security for your only castle."

"As impudent as ever I see." The Retainer growled, "I see that I'll have to beat some sense into you yet again, whelp!"

"Uh…what continent are you on?" Naruko asked, "I withstood your best attack in that…monster form of yours and was able to walk away from it. Not only that, I'm not fighting devoid of information this time. I have a pretty good idea about what your basic capabilities are, _and_ that you can't use most of them here."

Kogorō scowled. The brat had somehow guessed that only Yanagi Clan members could use Yanagi Kinjutsu within the confines of Mokuzai Kijō without expressed permission, which was why she had trapped him inside the castle.

"How did you figure that out, whelp?" Kogorō demanded.

"You told me just now." Naruko told him smugly, "Plus, your mistress is an insane paranoid bitch. She wouldn't let the Inaba Clan be too powerful in her own stronghold. Let's see how strong you are _without_ your precious Kinjutsu to back you up!"

"I am a better ninja than you could _ever_ hope to become!" Kogorō shouted as he made a twisting gesture with his right hand, causing a kunai to drop into it from up his sleeve.

"A hidden kunai mechanism. Smart." Naruko commented as she drew her own kunai, "You'll need more than that to beat me though!"

The two shinobi moved at the same instant and clashed in the centre of the room, their kunai thrusting and blocking each other repeatedly. The glares the sent at each other broadcast the same message: only one of them would walk away from the fight this time, while the other would die by the victor's hand.

Around them the fire caught on the walls and began to grow, ignored by the combatants as their battle began to blaze with it's own intensity.

Meanwhile, in the basement, Yanagi Saeko looked up with a faint smile.

"It's time." she muttered as she picked up her spear, "At last, it is time to _end_ the madness!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Rematch! Kogorō Vs Naruko!**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

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Magen: Nijū Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: Double Optic Delusory Jutsu

Rank: High-C

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _An advanced jutsu that adds two layers of genjutsu rather than one. When the first is broken, the second is usually harder to notice, leaving the target's vulnerable. Easily seen through by both the Byakugan and the Sharingan._

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	15. Rematch! Kogorō Vs Naruko!

**Author's Note: Yo. Here is the Fourth instalment of the Living Forest Demon Arc.**

**In my poll, I plan to remove all arcs that do not have at least ten votes each soon after I upload this chapter, which ought to lower the choices to about 11.**

**I also plan to go back and correct a few errors in my chapters once I hit the twenty chapters mark. Sometimes I miss things until they stare me in the face after I've uploaded them.**

**Now. I would like it if people would kindly read and review this chapter. Reviews let me know you like my work. Speaking of which, this story now has 512 Favourites, 613 Follows and 279 reviews! Thank you all who have followed and favourited this story!**

**A bit of reference: The Yanagi's Castle is only slightly smaller than Osaka Castle's main keep. Keep that in mind as you read.**

**Enough from me! On with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't my creation, so don't be suing me.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 15: Rematch! Kogorō Vs Naruko!**

**Entrance Hall, Mokuzai Kijō**

Inaba Kogorō had served the Yanagi Clan for over thirty years, ever since he turned ten. During that time, he had fought in battles, assassinated many people and had even seen his Lady Sae control the demon tree to take over the Yanagi Clan.

None of that had prepared him for facing Uzumaki Naruko without the Akuryō no Moriki to back him up.

She was fast, strong and precise in her attacks and her Taijutsu Style was one that he didn't recognise. It was very effective at counter attacks and the offensive attacks were brutally efficient. His own _**Yuzuru (Willow Crane)**_ style focused on maintaining a solid stance with his legs and making quick, precise jabs with his arms, but this merely made his attacks predictable, as she didn't have to worry about his lower limbs.

'_Time to show this whelp that my strength is not solely dependent on the Yanagi Kinjutsu._' Kogorō thought as he leapt back from a sweeping kick.

He ran through handsigns as he landed and called out, "_**Suiton: Ja no Kuchi no Jutsu! (Water Style: Mouth of the Serpent Jutsu!)**_", unleashing a large torrent of water that shaped itself into a snake with its mouth open and shot towards Naruko with a roar.

Naruko leapt out of the way of the jutsu, but it just followed her unerringly. The blond kunoichi grinned and ran towards Kogorō, who widened his eyes in shock as his own jutsu began to bear down on him.

Swiftly, he cancelled the powerful jutsu, causing the water to collapse onto the ground. Naruko merely grinned at him.

"Ninjutsu Lesson One: Never use a long range jutsu in close confines as it can easily be turned back against you." she told him.

"Shut. UP!" Kogorō roared as he made more handsigns, "_**Suiton: Mizubōsō no Jutsu! (Water Style: Rampaging Water Jutsu!)**_"

This time, he fired an enormous blast of water from his mouth at Naruko, one that should be too large for his mouth to fire, as it was at least a foot wide. The Uzumaki Heiress didn't so much as bat an eye as she ran forwards and to the left of him.

Kogorō tried to move the jutsu around so that it hit her, but found that she moved far faster than he could turn his head. With a wordless snarl, Naruko slammed a strong punch to Kogorō's family jewels.

[CRUNCH!]

White-hot pain erupted from the one place _no_ man wants to be struck in and Kogorō ended the jutsu as he staggered back to cup his abused jewels with one hand, gasping in pain and humiliation.

"_Taijutsu_ Lesson One: Never let your guard down!" Naruko snarled as she kicked Kogorō in the centre of his chest, sending him staggering back a couple of feet.

"Y-You damn brat…!" Kogorō rasped in anger, "How dare you insult me like this!"

"With the greatest of ease!" Naruko quipped.

"Grrrr!" Kogorō was furious that the whelp had struck him in such a vital area. Angrily, he unsealed an Fūma Shuriken from a storage seal on his kimono and hurled it horizontally at Naruko before making several handsigns.

"_**Ninpō: Shuriken Goshin no Jutsu! (Ninja Art: Shuriken Giant Body Jutsu!)**_" he roared as he leapt to the wall

The Fūma Shuriken then grew to massive proportions, almost filling the room as it hurtled towards Naruko. Making a split second decision, Naruko leapt into the air and clapped her hands.

"_**Futon: Reppūshō no Jutsu!**_" she shouted as the wind jutsu sent her flying towards the wall, where she landed and stuck to it with her chakra. She watched at the massive shuriken slammed into the wall and cut through it as if it was made of cheese before returning to a normal size.

"You know, your mistress isn't going to be happy with you for wrecking her castle. You do realise that, right?" Naruko told the scowling man.

"Die! Shut up and DIE already!" Kogorō shouted, throwing a handful of shuriken at her. Naruko dodged to the side and formed the Tiger Handsign.

"_**Suiton: Teppōdama no Jutsu!**_" she mouthed before unleashing a flurry of water bullets at her enemy. Kogorō gaped for a moment at the sheer number of bullets before scrambling away hurriedly. No less than _twelve_ water bullets slammed into the wooden wall, creating fist-sized holes where they struck the wood.

Naruko grinned. She had unconsciously been holding back last time because she had still been operating in 'Training Mode', where you don't seriously injure your partner. This time she was using her jutsu at full power.

Kogorō was shocked. She hadn't displayed this kind of power the previous day!

"Tell me Kogorō-teme." Naruko said mockingly, "How does it feel to be up against a foe that surpasses your expectations and is able to accomplish things you thought impossible?"

"SHUT UP!" Kogorō howled. He revealed he had another kunai hidden up his sleeve and launched himself at Naruko at impressive speed for a forty year old ninja.

"Slow." Naruko commented as she dodged the slashing kunai. She then lashed out with a chakra-enhanced kick, sending him flying across the room and through the part of the wall that was weakened by her Teppōdama -exactly where she had been aiming for.

"Now, lets face the _real_ you, teme." Naruko muttered as she leapt through the wall and out into the grounds.

Kogorō staggered to his feet and glared at Naruko as she landed softly on the packed dirt of the courtyard.

"BIG mistake, whelp. Now that we're outside, I can use my Yanagi Kinjutsu!" Kogorō sneered triumphantly.

"You really are a fool, Inaba Kogorō." Naruko told him, "You've used the Kinjutsu to such an extent that your regular taijutsu and ninjutsu are both at such a low level that a rookie genin like me can handle them. The Kinjutsu are a crutch for you and rob you of the will to truly strive to become stronger."

"I do not need strength other than what Sae-sama bestows upon me!" Kogorō retorted fanatically, life flickering for the first time in his dead eyes, "I failed her once by letting you get away from me and twice for not confiscating your sword. I will not make the same mistakes twice!"

"Just hurry up and get your oversized root armour on." Naruko spat contempt fully, "I'll tear down your delusions and show you your weakness for what it truly is."

"Very well, whelp." Kogorō sneered, "You _will _regret this. _**Yanagi Kinjutsu **__**Ōgi: Oniki: Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu, Ultimate Technique: Demon Tree: Evil Forest Demon Jutsu!)**_"

As before, roots shot out of the ground to cocoon the man before pulling him down beneath the ground. Naruko smirked and made the mental connection to her tenant.

'_Kyuubi. I'm about to face the hack in his full form. Are you ready on your end?_' she asked.

'**Of course I am.'** The Kyuubi replied, **'Just let me warn you, my chakra is not easy to control and too much of it at once is potentially toxic, so when I say that I won't give you any more, that's why.'**

'_Got it. I'll try to only use the bare minimum during this fight._' Naruko replied, '_In addition, can you stop messing with my chakra control during this fight? I seriously need every advantage I can get against this guy._'

'**Pah!'** scoffed the Kyuubi, **'No you don't. Just my Chakra will be more than enough to deal with this knock off. But I will allow it as I can guess what you plan on doing.'**

'_Arigatou, Kyuubi-san._' Naruko thought as she slammed her hands together into the Monkey handsign.

"_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongōgatana!**_" she chanted, her Adamantine Katana once more appearing in her hand. This time, it would taste blood.

The towering form of Kogorō's _**Jaaku Moriki **_form rose up from the ground, every bit as intimidating as it had been the previous day.

"**Now then, whelp. Where were we?"** Kogorō boomed.

Naruko merely assumed the _Waki-gamae _position, her sword concealed at a low angle behind her and her body twisted to one side slightly, tensed and ready to react to her opponent's next move.

"**What's this? So scared that you can't speak?"** the Retainer sneered at her.

"I think we went over this yesterday. Are you going to try and _talk_ me to death or are you gonna _fight_?" Naruko sniped back.

"**Impudent Brat!"** Kogorō howled in outrage as he charged forwards. Before he realised it though, Naruko was under his guard and had her sword drawn back.

"Let's try this _again_, shall we?" Naruko hissed, "_**Uzumaki-Ryu Kenjutsu: Kai: **__**Shin**__** Kaen **__**Ittōryōdan! (Uzumaki Style Sword Technique: Revised: **__**True**__** Blazing Single Stroke Bisection!)**_"

Immediately, her sword blazed with the same firestorm as the previous day except…differently. Whereas the first attempt had been long, this flaming sword was only a foot or so longer than the actual blade and seemed hotter as, rather than red or orange; the blade was almost pure white.

Kogorō, realising his danger, dodged to the side, but was too slow. The flaming sword cut through the roots that made up his _**Jaaku Moriki's **_right arm, cauterising them and starting a small fire on his body.

Naruko leapt back after the Jutsu ended and assumed the _Chūdan-gamae_, the standard stance that offered no preference to defence or attack.

"What do you know, you were right." Naruko said with a smirk, "That Jutsu really _can_ cut your root armour. Thanks for the tip, teme!"

"**Y-You…"** Kogorō hissed in fury. The flames on his construct's shoulder finally went out and revealed that the space where the arm had once been was melted over, as if it had been dipped in molten lava.

Kogorō glanced at it and mentally cursed. There _was_ a jutsu to regenerate a lost limb on a _**Jaaku Moriki**_, but Saeko-sama had theorised that if all of the cut roots were thoroughly cauterised by extreme heat or _very_ extreme cold, the jutsu would merely regenerate an arm in shape only, with no great strength behind it and it would be as fragile as a Ne Bunshin.

Damn it, he had to _try_ it at the very least.

"_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Neki: **__**Ne Shishi Saisei no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Root Demon: Root Limb Regeneration Jutsu!)**_**" **he growled.

Roots flowed out and over his the location where his arm had formerly been. They bunched together and obscured it for a moment before falling back, leaving the shoulder joint utterly unchanged. The roots then swarmed over it again, this time reaching down to the length of the original arm, forming into the exact shape of the limb that was on fire at his feet before settling.

"Awww. Is your crutch _broken_, teme?" Naruko teased him, "Do you want me to pause so you can mourn it?"

"**BITCH!"** Kogorō bellowed and charged her again.

Naruko sighed. This guy was the proverbial bull in the china shop!

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With The Rest of Team 8.…**

When the first explosion went off, Kurenai silently led her team, plus Shin'ichi, up the stairs of the wine cellar under a basic notice-me-not genjutsu.

She and Hinata had point, Shin'ichi in the centre and Anko and Ino bringing up the rear.

The first suspicious conversation that they heard was a mere ten paces down the hall. Two female servants were having a panicked conversation at the door to the kitchens.

"The gatehouse was destroyed!" one said to the other, "The Yagura have been destroyed! The courtyard has been mined! I saw it from the kitchen window! What are we going to do?!"

"I saw Kogorō-sama heading towards the courtyard from Sae-sama's quarters." The other servant replied, "Whoever is responsible won't be able to stand up to him!"

No sooner had the servant spoken, a loud series of explosions rocked the castle, making the two servants shriek in panic and flee into the presumptive safety of the kitchen, slamming the door behind them and slamming the deadbolts home.

"No…surely she wouldn't be so reckless, not after what happened _last_ time." Kurenai muttered, a foreboding feeling washing over her.

"W-what do you mean, Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked.

"Naruko. I think she might have just trapped herself in a room with Inaba Kogorō." Kurenai replied tensely.

"And?" Shin'ichi asked with a frown, "She is keeping the only opponent we cannot fight out of our way. Sae and Saeko cannot use the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_. Sae can't use it because she is the one who maintains the link between the Akuryō no Moriki and the rest of the Inaba and Yanagi, whilst Saeko cannot use it because Sae has blocked her from the demon tree except for experimentation purposes, so she can create new jutsu."

"He almost killed her though!" Ino fretted.

"Sae created a small kekkai around the main section of the castle that prevents any of the Inaba Clan from using Yanagi kinjutsu within it." Shin'ichi said.

Anko gaped. "You mean to tell me that she's preventing her _primary guard unit _from using their most powerful jutsu _in_ _the_ _main place they're supposed to be protecting_?! Is she mad?"

"Yes." The Elder replied straight-faced, "As well as severely paranoid. She fears her sister, she fears the Inaba and she _especially_ fears Inaba Kogorō and the _**Inaba Yon Shugokamigami**_, the four others in the Inaba Clan who can revert from the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_. She even made each of the four sleep in a separate Yagura 'as a precaution'; meaning Naruko-sama has just eliminated, in a single stroke, _four-fifths _of the most powerful members of the Inaba Clan."

Anko whistled. "Damn. Remind me to stay on Naru-chan's good side."

"Let's get a move on." Kurenai said with a frown, "The last thing we need is to be caught here by-"

"Halt!" A pair of men wearing the black outfits of the Inaba Clan had walked around the corner, sensed the genjutsu and had dispelled it.

"-the enemy." Kurenai finished with a resigned sigh.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko…**

"**WILL YOU STAY STILL?!"** Kogorō bellowed angrily. He was become increasingly exasperated with his opponent. She was not even attacking him, not since she cut his arm off. She was instead jumping around like a flea, rarely remaining in one place any longer than it took her to insult him before moving on.

He was close to losing control of his temper, which seemed to be on tenterhooks around this incredibly disrespectful, irritating and infuriating excuse for a kunoichi that he faced.

"Hmmmmm….no!" Naruko replied as she easily dodged the swipe of his left arm and landed on his right arm with that aggravating smirk plastered across her face.

"**Grrrrrrr…! Get OFF!"** Kogorō growled as he smashed his other arm down at where the girl stood, only for her to dodge yet again and made him smash his faux-facsimile of a right arm, making him howl in rage.

Naruko leapt back to several yards away, pointed at him with her sword and smirked again.

"What's the matter, Teme?" the Uzumaki Heiress taunted him, "Still bitter about having your _crutch_ broken? Tell you what, I'll stay right here. No dodging, no swerving. Come at me -if you _dare_!"

Seeing red at the condescension the whelp was giving him, Kogorō ignored the small voice at the back of his mind that was screaming at him to assail her with long ranged jutsu, and charged her with a roar.

As he closed to within three meters of his target, he was caught in the middle of _twelve_ explosions, which he recognised as coming from explosive tags. He was buffeted from twelve sides by both the concussive force of the blasts and the burning flames the tags created, causing his right leg to become severed at the knee.

As he fell to the ground with a grunt, Naruko hefted her blade onto her shoulder.

"Like it? It's my own variation of the _**Kekkai Ninjutsu: **__**Kekkai Hōjin no Jutsu (Barrier Ninjutsu: Perimeter Barrier Jutsu)**_ that Iruka-sensei taught me that I call the _**Juni-Ten Kekkai Hōjin (Twelve Points Perimeter Barrier)**_." Naruko said with that smirk on her face, "Rather than just your basic four explosive tags in a rectangle, I positioned twelve of them as a twelve pointed star for maximum effect. Nice, eh?"

"**Y-You…I am going to murder you is such a ****painful**** way that you will regret ever crossing me!"** Kogorō growled, **"**_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Neki:**__**Ne Shishi Saisei no Jutsu!**_**"**

The roots that made up the remaining part of his severed right leg surged out and reformed into a replacement leg, a proper regeneration this time, and he also regenerated another hollow right arm -not that it would be of any use.

"Oh, come _on_!" Naruko rolled her eyes in exasperation, "We've been through this. You rush at me, I cut you to ribbons, and you swear to kill me, rinse and repeat. Do you have anything _original_ to add to the dance, _sir_?"

The last part was added with a mocking lilt that drove Kogorō mad with anger. That voice that spoke as if she were above him, that look in her eyes as she spoke that implied that he could do nothing to harm her. He was a veteran ninja! His hands were stained red with the blood of those he had killed in the name of the Yanagi and this _stupid_ little girl presume that she was above him?

How. _Dare_. She?

"_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Kinone Kangoku no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Tree Root Prison Jutsu!)**_**" **Kogorō roared.

The roots arched out of the ground all around Mokuzai Kijō, swiftly enclosing the castle in the familiar gloomy twilight of the jutsu. This time, however, the dome was illuminated by the burning Yagura and the flames of the main gate as it began to catch fire.

Naruko merely raised an eyebrow. "This again? All this does is trap me in here and, unlike last time, I have no intentions of running away."

"**Heh…do you really think Saeko-sama would really create a jutsu such as this and not then create some jutsu that use it as a base?"** Kogorō asked with a sneer, **"Witness the strength that aided in conquering three castles! **_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Yozora Ne Yari no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Night Sky Root Spears Jutsu!)**_**"**

Naruko's instincts screamed at her to move and she obeyed them, dodging to the side, just in time to avoid half a dozen root spears that had fallen from the dome of the _**Kinone Kangoku**_. Her danger radar was still at high alert, so she kept moving. She heard the 'thunk-thunk-thunk' of more roots slamming into the earth behind her two seconds after she had vacated that spot.

'_Shit! A tracking attack jutsu that comes from the damn dome!_' Naruko thought as she sped around the courtyard, '_Lets see how it treats multiple targets…_'

"_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" Naruko shouted as she made the cross-like Clone Handsign, causing a thousand clones to appear in the courtyard.

Almost immediately, root spears began descending from the dome above, lancing towards the clones at impressive speed. More than a few were impaled and popped from existence in the first moment, with the remainder leaping around like frogs to dodge them.

The original Naruko sped towards Kogorō determinedly, avoiding clones and root spears as she went until she was within sword distance from the _**Jaaku Moriki**_ user. Turning her run into a rapid slide, she neatly nutmegged him, going right between his legs and slashed at where the tendons should be on the root-body as she passed just to be safe.

"**What the…?!" **Kogorō started to say, before a dozen root spears struck his body, piercing through the root armour of his construct with barely a pause, starting at the groin-area and ending with a pair missing the head-area by less than an inch.

"**GAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" **Kogorō roared in pain. He couldn't believe it! The whelp had, once again, turned one of _his own _jutsu against him! What was worse, she was sending more clones after him so they could do the same thing!

"**KAI!" **he roared, ceasing the rain of spears. He could feel the points of the spears piercing the flesh of his actual body. He had been struck at least four times in the abdomen and a single time in his right shoulder. The shoulder wound was not a concern, but three of the four shots to his abdomen were deep, puncturing his internal organs. His intestines were definitely hit badly, as was his stomach, his spine and quite possibly his spleen.

In other words, if he didn't find a Med-nin shortly, he would die a slow and _painful_ death. This was an issue. The Yanagi's only med-nin had been killed ten years ago, along with his apprentice.

This had not been an issue once the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu **_had been created and issued to him, as nothing could pierce the root armour it gave him, but now? Now it was _vital_ that he see one.

'_Shit. I'm dead._' Kogorō thought calmly as he tugged the ten spears embedded in his body out one at a time methodically, blood coating four of the tips, '_This little bitch has killed me, and it was my own jutsu that did it! Unbelievable._'

Disbelief warred with rage within his mind as he turned to view Naruko, who was leaning against a root spear with a crooked grin on her face.

"**Kai."** he said quietly and the roots making up the body of the Jaaku Moriki retracted into the ground, revealing Inaba Kogorō clutching his abdomen as blood flowed freely from the wounds Naruko had caused.

"Giving up, teme?" Naruko asked through narrowed eyes. She was unsure why he had released his jutsu.

"Hardly." Kogorō snorted as he coughed up blood. Wiping his face, he continued, "I'm dying, no question of that. The _manner_ of my death, however, is my choice, and I will die in service to the Yanagi Clan. I will, at the very _least_, take you down with me!"

From the small of his back, he pulled a tantō. The blade was etched with an odd array of seals, an Fūinjutsu that Naruko did not recognise.

Raising up his blade with his left arm, Kogorō screamed, "FOR THE YANAGI CLAN!", before plunging the tantō into his stomach. Naruko was taken aback. Was he committing Seppuku? A _ninja_ committing ritual suicide?

Leaving the blade embedded in his abdomen, Kogorō shakily ran through a series of handsigns before grinning triumphantly at Naruko as blood seeped from his mouth.

"_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: **__**Saigo**__** no **__**Ōgi**__**: Moriki: **__**Jaaku-rin Maō no Jutsu! (Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Final Ultimate Technique: Forest Demon: Evil Forest Spirit Demon King Jutsu!)**_" He bellowed.

"A Life Sacrifice Jutsu!" Naruko exclaimed, "You really _are_ insane!"

"No, young one." Kogorō said as he began to sink into the ground, "I am a ninja, thus I will go to any lengths to slay the foes of my mistress."

With that, Kogorō disappeared beneath the surface of the earth, leaving the soil barely disturbed. Naruko looked around nervously. There was no telling what this Jutsu would do.

Moving swiftly, she made her way to the castle wall and ran up it, ending up on the roof. Her remaining clones -about 600 of them- followed suit. When there wasn't room on the roof, the clones spread out up the wall and onto the next level of the roof, even going so far as to stick to the wall with chakra.

Just after the last clone assumed a defensive stance, the ground where Inaba Kogorō disappeared began to shake and bulge, like something enormous was rising up to the surface. The bulge grew and grew until it was the size of Kogorō's _**Jaaku Moriki **_form. Then, with an almighty crack, the earth surrounding whatever was causing the bulge shattered, revealing…

…A giant hand. It was made entirely out of roots and was still growing out of the ground. Naruko gaped at it in shock as an elbow appeared out of the ground. The arm slowly twisted around and the hand descended to the ground with a slam, which shook the earth and even the castle.

Movement in the earth to the other side of the courtyard caught Naruko's eye and she looked around just in time to see another bulge appear in the ground. She stood frozen in shock as another arm broke through the earth and slammed its hand on to the ground. Then they began pushing at the ground.

An enormous bulge appeared between the two arms and continued to grow. The earth groaned, cracked, splintered and finally exploded as the form of Kogorō's _**Jaaku-rin Maō no Jutsu**_ finally emerged from beneath the ground, ready to attack.

Naruko gazed at it in astonishment and decided that she had better have a word with the Kyuubi.

'_Ummm…Kyuubi-sama…can you see what I can see?_' Naruko asked with uncharacteristic nervousness.

'**What are you-'** The Kyuubi asked grumpily as he synced his sight with Naruko's then cut himself off with a loud, **'Bloody Hellfire!'**

'_If the Kyuubi is taken aback, then I am in more trouble than I thought._' Naruko considered numbly as she looked up at the titan that had once been Inaba Kogorō.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With the rest of Team 8...**

Anko was rather disappointed at how easily the Inaba Clan guards had fallen. After seeing how badly Naruko had been beaten by Kogorō, Anko had expected the Footsoldiers to put up a good fight. They _had_ tried valiantly, but she personally wouldn't have assessed them as any higher than Low-Chunin at best.

Even without her summoning arts, Anko was a well-rounded Tokubetsu Jonin. Her Taijutsu Style, a modified version of Orochimaru's own _**Shirohebi no Mai (Dance of the White Snake)**_ Style that she called _**Murasakihebi no Mai (Dance of the Purple Snake)**_, was both fast and lethal in close quarters and she had dealt with the two Inaba Clan members without much ado.

'_Then again, they can't use their best Jutsu because of their mistress' paranoia._' Anko thought as she lead the way for Team 8 as they ran down a corridor that Shin'ichi said headed to the basement.

Ino, right behind Anko, glanced out of the window. The dome of roots had sprung up a few minutes ago, signalling that Kogorō had somehow managed to get outside.

"I hope Naruko-chan is alright." the Yamanaka Heiress muttered.

"Of course she is." Kurenai said, "I disapprove of Naruko disobeying order as she has, but she doesn't make the same mistake twice. If she's confronting Inaba Kogorō, she has a plan."

Right on cue, a shriek of inhuman pain came from the front of the castle, making the Team stop.

"That voice…that was Inaba Kogorō's voice." Shin'ichi said in wonder, "He's been hurt badly if he's shrieking like _that_."

"Good. That's proof Naruko knows what she's doing." Anko said with a grin, "Now let's get down to the basement and find Yanagi Saeko."

"A pointless task as I am already before you." a soft-spoken voice said from the corridor ahead of them, making the shinobi jump and spin around to face the source.

Out of the shadows of the staircase leading to the upper floor ahead of them, a black haired woman stepped forth. Her hair was cut to just beneath her ears and she had a scar across one cheek. She was dressed in a drab grey kimono emblazoned with the Yanagi crest and wore traditional tabi-socks.

In her right hand, she carried a gorgeous spear. The shaft was clearly a standard Mochi Yari shaft issued to Samurai and Ashigaru. The spearhead was a Jūmonji, or cross-shaped spear. The two sections of the blade that gave it its name were slightly curved and the main spear point was shaped like a leaf towards the tip.

'_Easy to see why it's called 'Ryūshi'_' Anko thought as she held up a kunai defensively, '_The damn thing looks just as deadly as a tooth from a dragon._'

"Was that Kogorō I heard shrieking a moment ago?" Saeko asked curiously.

"Indeed it was, Saeko-sama." Shin'ichi said as he stood forwards, "It has been some time since we last met."

Saeko nodded. "I believe the last time was your appointment as the Castellan of Katagi Kijō, Shin'ichi-san. You are looking quite spry for your advanced age."

"Psh-tish. A mere ninety years is not something to make a fuss over." The Elder scoffed.

"Quite." Saeko replied with a small smile. She looked at the Konoha ninja with a frown, "Where is the blond one I found in the underwater cavern?"

"You...you knew of the tunnel?" Shin'ichi asked in shock, "No, before that, you can open the doors?!"

The Yanagi nodded. "I discovered notes about it in Otou-sama's personal safe. I erased any mention of them during Ane-ue's coup, while she was bust slaughtering and sacrificing people. The Yanagi had discovered the door shortly after the creation of Konohagakure and spent the next twenty years figuring out how to open it. Once they did, they seeded the tunnel with traps before closing it up again." Saeko told him.

"So you went through the tunnel and disabled all of the Yanagi Clans traps." Shin'ichi said in wonder.

"You said you discovered one of my genin down there. Did you do anything to her?" Anko asked sharply.

Saeko regarded her with a cocked head. "Aside from a mild healing jutsu and dragging her fully out of the water, no." she replied.

Just then, a series of minor earthquakes rocked the castle. Saeko paled as an enormous roar echoed throughout the dome. "Oh no. Surely he didn't use _that_ Jutsu!?" she exclaimed, a slight edge of fear in her voice.

"What? What Jutsu?" Ino asked.

"A Jutsu that sacrifices the user's life in exchange for true assimilation with the Akuryō no Moriki." Saeko replied, "The user loses their body of flesh and bones in exchange for one made solely of roots infused with Natural Energy and the foul chakra of the Akuryō no Moriki. The Jutsu only lasts as long as the person or persons the user was fighting lives. Once they die, the roots that now make up the user's body are then reabsorbed by the demon tree."

"So…something similar to the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_, except permanent?" Kurenai asked.

"The resulting body is roughly three quarters of the size of the main castle." Saeko replied in a half-strangled tone, "Follow me."

She turned and walked towards the stairs. Team 8 followed her, fear for their teammate. She led them down the stairs and into a laboratory of some sort, the walls white and stark. Attached to one wall was a blank screen. Saeko walked over to it and tapped a few buttons on the panel next to it, making the screen hum to life.

"Dear Sweet Merciful Kami…" Kurenai breathed in horror at what was on the screen, which, Saeko explained quietly, was showing the security camera at the pinnacle of the castle roof and it was currently pointed at the front courtyard where the clash was taking place.

The camera wasn't designed for use in the darkness, but what little they could make out did not inspire confidence in the gathered kunoichi.

What had formerly been Inaba Kogorō was now a root construct well over twice the height of the Hokage Tower. It greatly resembled a Tengu from mythology, complete with a long nose and bird-like wings, wearing yamabushi (Mountain Hermit) robes and a Tokin (Mountain Hermit hat).

"Oh…_hell_." Anko said.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko…**

'_So, Kyuubi, got any bright ideas?_' Naruko asked as she stared at the giant…Tengu?…that was her current opponent.

'**Try not to die?'** the ever practical fox offered.

'_Thank you _so much_, Captain Obvious!_' Naruko replied furiously.

The head of the Tengu shifted down to look at her and the mouth opened.

"**So, Whelp, are you ready to give up and die now you have seen my most powerful form?"** Kogorō's voice boomed from the open mouth.

"Hardly." Naruko scoffed, "As big as you are, all you are now is a target. The more there is of you, the more there is to hit."

With that, she made the Clone Handsign again. "_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" she called.

Over a thousand more clones flashed into existence in and around the grounds and castle. Kogorō was not impressed.

"**Mere Clones cannot harm me, child. I am now truly as one with the Akuryō no Moriki."** Kogorō said condescendingly, **"You cannot harm me and I will not stop until I kill you."**

"We'll soon see about that!" Naruko roared, "Get him!" she ordered her clones.

With a roar, the newly summoned clone army attacked the Kogorō-Tengu. They ran up his legs and stabbed with their swords, used their fire jutsu to try to burn him and even used their lightning jutsu to try to fry him.

None of it worked.

"**Hmmm…I have the feeling that something is ****trying**** to give me a mosquito bite."** Kogorō said mockingly, **"I'd better deal with it."**

He began casually dusting himself off as if he had just been coated in dust during a long journey. Soon, all of the Naruko clones clambering over him were gone.

"Huh…OK then." Naruko said with a cocked head.

'_Hey fox, what you think the inside of that thing looks like?_' she asked her tenant.

'**Probably solid roots.'** opined the Kyuubi, **"though it never hurts to make sure.'**

'_Down the hatch it is._' Naruko replied. She made a single Shadow Clone, punched it to dispel it and watched as the knowledge of that one clone was distributed amongst the rest of the 600 clones on the castle, which was rather amusing to watch and hear the reactions to the orders.

"Gross!"

"Yuck!"

"Urgh! Do we _have_ to?"

"Yes you do!" Naruko shouted, "The 100 clones closest to the top, execute the operation!"

Grumbling, the selected clones leapt for Kogorō, ran up to his mouth and dived in.

"**What the…?!"** Kogorō exclaimed, vainly trying to stop them, but it seemed that his mouth remained open whenever he spoke, meaning his own words allowed the clones to infiltrate his interior.

Before long, a series of bags, flashes and yells erupted from within Kogorō.

"**Gaaaaaaaah!"** Kogorō bellowed, **"Get out of there you little insects!"**

He opened his mouth as wide as it would go and shoved a hand inside, attempting to root out the clones assailing his innards.

'_Interesting. It isn't actually solid in there. It's a replica of the anatomy of the human body._' Naruko though clinically as a few of her clones were dispelled, '_Seems like going inside is the best plan. He can't seem to manipulate the innards of his new body. Hey fox, you ready with the chakra?_'

'**As I said before, brat, yes!'** The millennia old fox growled.

'_OK, OK, don't get your fur in a twist, Sheesh!_' Naruko replied.

"Alright, ladies. Down the hatch!" The Uzumaki Heiress ordered, to the horror of her 500-odd remaining clones, "And no bitching about it either!"

"**Like I'd just let you, whelp!"** Kogorō roared, **"**_**Senpō: **__**Tengu **__**Tsubasa Toppū! (Sage Art: Tengu Wing Squall!)**_**"**

His enormous wings, which had previously been furled on his back, shot out to half of their full length, which was as far as the dome would allow him to unfurl them, drew them back and thrust them towards the castle which Naruko and her clones were standing on, unleashing an enormous gale of wind at his targets.

Naruko went on all fours and stuck herself to the roof with chakra. She was the only one who did, her clones being blown away and dispelled like leaves in a hurricane by the powerful Sage Jutsu.

Once the wind passed, Naruko wasted no time in charging the several story high Tengu.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with the Others…**

"…What the _hell_ is she _doing_?" Kurenai asked, aghast. She, along with every other person in the room, had watched in bemusement as Naruko had force-fed 100 copies of herself to Kogorō's Tengu body, then in fear for Naruko as Kogorō had gotten angry and flapped his wings, creating a massive blast of wind that had almost tore the camera from its housing in the roof.

Hell, the wind had shattered every glass window in the entire castle!

"Of course!" Saeko gasped, "She's going to attack him from the inside out! Kogorō has no experience at manipulating roots within his own body, so he will be the next best thing to defenceless against your friend's attacks!"

"Go Naruko!" Ino cheered, "Take that oversized chicken down!"

"G-Ganbare! (Go for it!) Naruko-chan!" Hinata cheered quietly.

"Gaki's crazy." Anko shook her head with a grin smeared across it, "But damn me if she doesn't make me feel sorry for the poor fucks who have to fight her. Hell, I am _so_ looking forward to the next Chunin Exams just so I can point and laugh as she humiliates all the other genin."

"ANKO! Language!" Kurenai scolded her friend.

"Bite me." Anko replied as she turned her attention back to the screen, where Naruko was leapfrogging from arm to arm as Kogorō tried in vain to reduce her from being three-dimensional to two-dimensional.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with Naruko…**

"Whoa!" Naruko yelped as a hand twice the length and breadth of a horse and cart smashed down where she had been a moment before, the wind pressure pushing her further away than she would have liked, so she created a Shadow Clone that threw her in the right direction before dispelling.

'_Damn it, this guy is persistent!_' Naruko thought in frustration, '_Every time I get close to his head, he pushes me back! I have to distract him somehow…I know!_'

Quickly, she created another Shadow Clone and smacked it to dispel it. Then she continued playing the mole in Whack-a-Mole as she waited for her plan to come to fruition.

"**Gaaaaah! HEARTBURN!" **Kogorō screamed as he clutched his chest in pain. Naruko grinned as she leapt down his throat thanks to a series of Shadow Clones throwing her like a javelin.

The interior of Kogorō's new root body was, to put it bluntly, disgusting. The roots looked even creepier up close in the darkness than they did from a distance, pulsing with malevolent green and black veins that made Naruko feel slightly nauseous.

As she hopped down what she supposed she could call Kogorō's throat, she mentally reviewed the Katon Ninjutsu that the Kyuubi had loaned to her and the handsigns she needed to pull it off. It was not going to be easy, especially since she had to fuel the jutsu with just the Kyuubi's chakra.

'_Man, I get to use an A-Rank Jutsu, and then I have to forget how to use it! This bites…_' Naruko thought as she paused at a division in the throat.

'_What the…oh, right. One leads to the stomach, the other goes to the lungs._' Naruko considered which cavernous entrance to enter, '_Well, all the clones that went down the left passage are still alive, so that's the way to go._'

Kogorō, meanwhile, was writhing as his sudden, not to mention excruciating, pain in his heart continued. He was howling in agony and he couldn't understand why. He had a body of roots now, so why did he still feel pain?!

He slammed his chest several times in an effort to stop whatever it was that was causing him pain. It did work for a minute, but then the pain came back redoubled.

"**Gaaah! Brat, I am going to torture you to death!"** Kogorō bellowed, **"Get out here and fight me like a warrior!"**

Naruko, after almost being deafened by the root-Tengu's bellow, continued her descent, muttering about loudmouths as she did.

"Wow." she remarked a few minutes later. She had finally made it to the lungs, or at least the _facsimile_ of lungs that the root jutsu had created. Quite _why_ the jutsu had replicated the internal organs, Naruko didn't get. The guy was made of _roots_; he didn't _need_ to breathe at all.

Dismissing the bizarreness of the Yanagi Kinjutsu for the moment, Naruko found the hole that her clones had cut in the lungs and leapt to it to see the distraction she had used to get inside being performed by her clones.

They were literally causing the false-heart to burn via judicious use of _**Katon: Endan **_and _**Katon: Takibi**_, along with some encouragement from _**Futon: Reppūshō**_.

Naruko grinned. Judging from the loud curses and invectives Kogorō was bellowing he was in quite a bit of pain. Not as much as he was _about _to be in, but it was still not bad for a pair of C-Rank Katon jutsu.

'**Make sure you have an escape plan ready, brat.'** The Kyuubi advised her gruffly, **'Once this jutsu takes hold, only the **_**Amateratsu (Heavenly Illumination)**__**no Jutsu **_**of the Uchiha Clan burns more fiercely than this one. You do ****not**** want to get caught by it.'**

'_Gotcha, fox._' Naruko replied. She spread her arms wide and then dove headfirst out of the hole as if she were diving into a pool of water.

"_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" she called as she fell, creating yet more clones that fell with her as she descended to the bottom of the root being. Deciding that a bit of spite was in order; Naruko landed on the root-bladder and ordered her Shadow Clones to jump on it.

Kogorō's howl of agony cut off as another, less painful, but by no means less urgent feeling replaced it: he desperately needed to piss. Unfortunately, his new body did not actually have any of the plumbing to do so; therefore, he _couldn't _piss, regardless of how he felt.

"**When you get out of me, I am going to kill you! You hear me whelp? You are dead meat!"** Kogorō raged.

"Man is this guy noisy." Naruko complained. She moved to the edge of the bladder and looked down. Seeing that she was almost at the bottom of Kogorō's innards (NOT a pleasant thought), she decided to create her escape route before she blasted the place.

"Ladies!" Naruko called, "_**Keisei: **__**Bunshin Hashigo! (Formation: Clone Ladder!)**_"

In a short time, a chain of Naruko-clones stretched up to the original hole in the root-lung that she had dived out of. After ensuring that the top and bottom clones were sticking to their respective surfaces with chakra, Naruko closed her eyes.

'_Kyuubi. It's time. Let me have some of your chakra, if you please._' Naruko sent to the fox sealed in her midriff.

'**As you will. Be careful. The first taste of my chakra is quite…intoxicating.'** The Kyuubi warned before sending his chakra through the seal.

Naruko stiffened. The chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune was more powerful than she had ever dreamed it could be. Her chakra network was flooded with magma. She shivered as it filled her to the brim. She held up a hand in fascination as her nails elongated into claws. On her clones, she could see the whisker-like scars on the cheeks become more defined and her blue eyes turn the same slit-crimson as the Kyuubi's own eyes.

'**Brat! Focus!'** The Kyuubi reminded her harshly.

"R-Right!" Naruko growled out in a deeper, rougher voice than her usual tone and began slowly running through the handsigns for the Katon Jutsu.

"Tori (Bird), Uma (Horse), Tatsu (Dragon), Tori, Hitsugi (Ram), Tatsu, Tora (Tiger), Kitsune (Fox)!" Naruko whispered to remind herself. The final handsign was one that bore a resemblance to the Boar handsign, with the only two differences being the middle fingers, pinkies and thumbs were extended and it was pointed up rather than down.

"_**Yōko Katon: Koenryū no Jutsu! (Demon Fox Fire Style: Fox Flame Dragon Jutsu!)**_" Naruko roared as she opened her mouth. A small blue fireball sparked into existence just outside of it and grew to the size of an over inflated basketball before it was launched at the bottom of the root-bladder. As it travelled, it turned into a long, ghostly azure dragon that unleashed a roar that shook Kogorō where he stood.

'_Time to get the heck outta Dodge, I think._' Naruko thought as she dashed up the clone-ladder with speed that took her by surprise. She was moving half again her fastest non-chakra running pace and she hadn't channelled any chakra to her legs yet.

'**Move it, Brat!'** The Kyuubi roared. Naruko automatically channelled chakra to her legs and became a red and blond blur as she zipped up the clone-ladder.

Behind her, the pale blue light of her _**Koenryū**_ became brighter and brighter before it impacted on the bottom of the root-bladder and exploded in a mushroom cloud. The heat was so intense that Naruko could feel it from where she was running up the clone-ladder, four stories up.

"Made it!" Naruko gasped as she threw herself through the hole in the false-lungs. She felt the clones near the bottom of the ladder dispel due to the intense heat from the flames that her _**Koenryū**_ created.

_Definitely_ time to get out of here.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Team 8...**

"Wh-what _is_ that chakra?" Saeko asked with wide eyes, "Not even the Akuryō no Moriki feels so _evil _and malicious!"

She was shaking in fear, as were Shin'ichi, Ino and Hinata. The four who hadn't felt the chakra of the Kyuubi no Kitsune before were cowering as the overwhelming presence of the demon fox swept over them.

Anko and Kurenai were gobsmacked. What the _hell_ could cause Naruko to tap into the power of her prisoner? The Sandaime had told them that only an actual threat to Naruko's life could draw the chakra out.

'_Better think of an explanation for these four._' Anko thought.

"It's a Kinjutsu that Naruko learned without permission." The Snake Mistress informed them, "Hokage-sama ordered her not to use it unless she was up against a Kage-class enemy, like Orochimaru. I guess she figured that that guy qualified."

"I don't blame her." Kurenai admitted with a sigh, "That thing would need the entire _village_ to take down conventionally."

"What does the Kinjutsu do?" Saeko asked in fascination.

"We…don't actually _know_." Anko acted as if she were embarrassed by this admission, "She had access to the Forbidden Scroll of Sealing for hours. That's where she picked up the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_. Who knows what _else_ she found in the damn thing? Whatever it is, Hokage-sama was…_firm_ about her not using it."

"She's out!" called Hinata, who had focussed on the screen in an effort to overcome her fear.

The room's occupants turned back to see the familiar blond haired kunoichi leap from the mouth of the root-Tengu and begin to freefall towards the castle.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with Naruko…**

"_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!" Naruko screamed as the castle drew inexorably closer as she fell. Ten Shadow Clones flickered into existence around her. Two manoeuvred themselves in front of her and _**Henge'd**_ themselves into giant rubber balloons just in time for them to take the full impact of the crash instead of their original.

"Whew…that was too damned _close_!" Naruko huffed as she recovered from her little fall, "Alright, next time I'm bringing a damned parachute!"

"**Whelp! What have you **_**done**_** to me?!"** Kogorō roared as his hands clutched at his midriff in pain.

"I put some fire in your belly!" Naruko said with an evil smirk, "Literally. I used an A-Rank Katon Jutsu on you."

"**Gaaah! You will die by my hand for causing me pain even in this divine form!"** Kogorō growled in anger.

"You wanna dance? Sure." Naruko grinned, "_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!"

An army of clones appeared, ready to fight. Naruko directed them rapidly until they were evenly distributed across the entire castle roof.

"You'd better be careful, Kogorō-teme. You wouldn't want to damage your mistress' castle now would you?" Naruko taunted him.

"**Why you crafty little bitch!"** Kogorō roared, **"**_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: **__**Shitai Shoji no Jutsu!**_**"**

The ground around the root-Tengu shifted, cracked and spit apart, revealing a small army of corpses clawing their way to the surface. They were dressed in kimono's bearing the symbols of the Kashi, Kaba and Momiji Clans and had obviously been drained of all of their blood.

Naruko scowled. "Teme, you have no respect for the dead. Not only that, I defeated this jutsu yesterday, remember?"

To illustrate her point, her shadow clones began bombarding the shuffling corpses with the tried and tested combination of _**Katon: Takibi **_and _**Futon: **__**Fūrō**_, incinerating them by the dozen. Even as she destroyed them though, more and more continued to claw out of the earth and advanced on the castle.

"**Hahahahahahahahaha!"** The Kogorō-Tengu boomed with laughter, **"Even if you can destroy some of them, you cannot destroy all of them! The vast majority of the sacrifices offered to the Akuryō no Moriki over the last decade have been buried underneath the grounds of the castle. Hundreds of ninja and civilians are at my command!"**

"Sick bastard!" Naruko snarled and a hundred of her Shadow Clones changed targets and began weaving handsigns as they glared at the giant root-Tengu.

"_**Raiton: Hekireki no Jutsu! (Lightning Style: Thunderclap Jutsu!)**_" They chanted as the clones all clapped their hands at once, unleashing a hundred bolts of lightning at Kogorō's towering form. As they struck him in roughly the same area, the damage was rather severe.

"**Gaaaaah!"** Kogorō screamed in agony, **"Why? Why do I feel pain? This body is made of roots! I should feel nothing!"**

"Because your mind actually linked to the roots, teme." Naruko replied coldly, "What's the matter? Feeling a bit…hot under the collar? Is the pressure finally getting to you?"

"**Whelp, what nonsense are you blathering about?"** The former human scoffed, before he realised that he _was_ feeling hot. It burned him, scorched him and seemed to reach out to consume him. His insides were burning!

"**What have you done?!" **Kogorō demanded harshly.

"Remember the Katon Jutsu I used on you?" Naruko asked with a smirk, "It was a very _special_ Katon. It was designed to _feed_ off of chakra-powered constructs like you. When you pump massive amounts of chakra through your body, the flames spread, grow and burn hotter. As for the Natural Energy, you have flowing through you? That's like adding pure oxygen to the flames. You will be consumed by the flames from the inside out and there is nothing you can do to stop it!"

Kogorō's eyes widened in shock. All this time, she had a trump card like that up her sleeve? Why didn't she use it before now? No, that was irrelevant right now. He had to kill _her_ before the flames killed _him_, regardless of the damage the castle took in the crossfire.

Sae-sama would understand…he hoped.

"**Heh…well, if I'm going to die, whelp, then I'm going to drag you down to Hell with me!"** Kogorō roared as he drew his massive right fist back, **"**_**Senpō: **__**Kūken no Jutsu! (Sage Art: Void Fist Jutsu!)**_**"**

He shot his fist forwards, unleashing a massive wind bullet laced with Natural Energy at the Naruko and the castle she stood on.

"Shit!" Naruko yelped as she leapt off of the roof just in time to avoid the incoming jutsu. She still got clipped by the edge of it and was sent flying and crashed heavily into the ground, driving all of the breath from her lungs.

Her clones were all wiped out by the Sage jutsu and the castle was struck a heavy blow. The roof was crushed and a massive hole was ripped through it, right down to the basement.

Naruko struggled to her feet, gasping for breath. '_Ow…that hurt. Don't think anything's broken though…ah crap, the corpse soldiers._'

Indeed, she was surrounded by the reanimated bodies, at least a hundred of them. She held herself at the ready for when they attacked. Kogorō began cackling evilly.

"**Hahahahahaha! Not so tough now, are you girl! Consider yourself honoured to die at the hands of the former Clan Heads of the Kashi, Kaba and Momiji Clans! Now, **_**Kogeki Ka**_**-aaaaaarrrgggghhh!"**

The reason Kogorō screamed became apparent when his entire right arm suddenly became set ablaze with ghostly blue flames along its entire length.

"**Wha-what the hell is the meaning of this!?"** Kogorō screamed.

Naruko grinned humourlessly. "You used a jutsu, didn't you? Not only that, a _Sage_ Jutsu. You drew the flames of my _**Koenryū no Jutsu**_ right to your arm, both within and without, via the flow of the Natural Chakra. Soon, it will be nothing more than ash, along with the rest of your body!"

"**DIE!"** Kogorō shrieked, **"Die already, you insignificant cockroach!"**

He drew back his flaming arm and drove it straight downwards at Naruko, who leapt into the air to avoid it. She was still channelling the Kyuubi's chakra, so she jumped further than she expected.

Although he missed Naruko, he hit his own corpse soldiers, infecting them with the fire of the Koenryū. In an handful of moments, all of the corpse soldiers were aflame, the pale blue fire spreading to the rest of them swiftly, soon reducing the corpse soldiers to ashes.

'**Brat, you need to finish this quickly.'** growled the Kyuubi as she landed and started running towards Kogorō, **'Your body won't be able to handle much more of my chakra before it starts to poison you. I'd say you have five minutes, tops, before I'll have to cut it off.'**

'_So, five minutes to kill an oversized root-Tengu. No problem._' Naruko thought calmly. She began to run up the leg of the root-Tengu, angling around to the back of the leg to make it that much more difficult to hit her.

"**Why you…!"** Kogorō growled. He began smacking his leg where he thought Naruko was, but was dodged by Naruko at every turn. The Uzumaki Heiress hacked and slashed roots at every opportunity she had with her _**Kongōgatana**_, the blade biting deeply each time.

Naruko made it to an area where it was awkward for him to reach in order to hit her -between his wings. She paused there as his left arm flailed away at his back.

'_He isn't thinking clearly._' Naruko thought critically, '_He should use a Yanagi Kinjutsu to attack me when I'm in such a position that using his arms is ineffective, even if it causes the flames of the __**Koenryū**__ to spread. He is dying after all, so regardless of what he does, he will die soon._'

Naruko decided that she had to do something to end this faster. She could not just sit back and let her Katon Jutsu eat away at him. It would take far too long and there was always the chance that he could get lucky and take her out.

'**Brat, try channelling my chakra into your hand.'** The Kyuubi directed.

Frowning, Naruko did so and gaped at the result. Her hand, right up to the elbow, was covered in a glowing crimson chakra aura. It was shaped loosely like a larger version of her own arm, right down to the claws that had temporarily replaced her fingernails.

'**Looks like that's as far as you can get.'** Kyuubi grunted, **'Brat, this is the true first level of my power -the **_**Yōko no Koromo (Demon Fox's Cloak)**_**. As you are still unaccustomed to my power, it would seem that you can only use it over a single arm, but that should be enough to take this fool down.'**

'_So…what do I do?_' Naruko asked as she began to run up the partially unfurled wing of the root-Tengu.

'**Slash an opening in his head with your Adamantine Katana and then impale the opening with the hand that is cloaked in my chakra.'** The fox directed, **'My chakra is toxic and corrosive to any but you. If you inject it into his chakra network, it should speed up his destruction by quite a bit.'**

'_His _entire body _is a chakra network now! Why the head in particular?_' Naruko argued as she leapt over the arm that Kogorō had sent her way once he realised where she was. Instead of squashing her, he struck his own wing with enough force to break it, making the former human shriek in pain. Naruko heard the snap as she made another Shadow Clone to launch her at Kogorō's head.

'**The Third Eye Point, brat!'** The Kyuubi shot back, **' Even if his body has been replaced by roots, the concentrations of chakra will remain the same! The Third Eye is the easiest point to access from where you are now! Just aim for the centre of the forehead, understood?'**

'_Alright already! Jeez, you're worse than Anko-sensei when she teaches me Shurikenjutsu!_' Naruko replied.

'**I should think so! I ****am**** countless years older than she is!'** The Kyuubi huffed, making Naruko roll her eyes impatiently.

The Shadow Clone threw her at Kogorō's head, which had turned to glare at her malevolently.

"**DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!" **Kogorō shrieked, clearly being driven mad by the constant burning, **"**_**Yanagi Kinjutsu: **__**Oniki: Meikai Ne Kushizashi no Jutsu!**_**"**

From his mouth, a mass of roots lanced out to try to turn her into a pincushion. Naruko rolled in midair dodging several and lashed out with the sword to cut down several others, which slowed her down.

She used the momentum from her last forward cut to arc her body around, land atop one of the roots and start running down it. She cut down several roots that assailed her and then tried something: the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ without the handsign.

It only created four clones, but that was enough to throw her towards Kogorō's head at a breakneck speed.

"Aaaaaagggghhhhh!" Naruko yelled a wordless battle cry as she drew her blade back ready to strike. She noted out of the corner of her eye that Kogorō's right arm was almost completely burned to a crisp and the flames were now eating away at his shoulder.

"**Whelp!"** Kogorō roared as he tried to bring his left arm up to grab her.

He was too slow however.

Naruko's _**Kongōgatana **_slammed into the very centre of Kogorō's forehead, the blade buried right up to the hilt in the roots. A loud, almost deafening, scream denoted Kogorō's pain. Naruko gritted her teeth, twisted the sword around and cut horizontally in one smooth motion, opening up a foot long gash across Kogorō's root body, eliciting yet another scream.

Withdrawing her Katana from the wound, Naruko drew back her left arm, which was still coated in the Kyuubi's chakra.

"_**Kyuubi Naruko Rangeki: **__**Yōki**____**Chūsha! (Nine-Tails Naruko Wild Attack: Demonic Energy Injection!)**_" She snarled before launching her arm into the wound and unleashing a blast of the Kyuubi's undiluted chakra directly into the monster that had once been Inaba Kogorō.

"**Gyyyaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"** Kogorō shrieked. This pain was so far beyond the other pains he had ever felt in his entire _life_ that a detached portion of his mind wondered why he had screamed out in pain before this. The burning, toxic feeling of whatever the hell it was the whelp had injected into him was rapidly spreading throughout his body, destroying his root body from the inside out, even as the blue flames consumed the Natural Energy that might have countered it.

'**At…At the very least, I have to kill her…'** the being who had once been Chief Retainer to the Yanagi Clan thought as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, **'For the Yanagi Clan…and for Sae-sama…'**

Naruko was feeling exhausted. Even though she was only acting as a conduit for the Kyuubi's chakra right now, the effort she had to put forth not to simply collapse was immense. She was so focussed on her task that Kogorō's single remaining hand closing around her took her completely by surprise.

She struggled, but the Kyuubi's chakra abruptly cut out, leaving her exhausted. Five minutes must be up.

"Dammit!" Naruko swore as she struggled in his grasp unsuccessfully.

"**Whelp…you…have killed me…"** Kogorō grunted as he brought her within range of his eyes, **"I will not…last…much longer…but I will…see to your…end before…I meet…mine…"**

Before Naruko could give a smart reply like 'No', Kogorō drew back his arm and threw her straight into the castle, smashing through walls, ceilings and floors before finally stopping in the basement, unconscious.

Inaba Kogorō staggered, his giant body being devoured by ghostly blue fire and red chakra. The minor wounds that Naruko had cut up his right leg and up his back were vomiting the flames of the _**Koenryū **_like miniature waterfalls, his mouth was filled with burning roots that made him look like he had been pranked with an exploding cigar and the centre of his forehead was glowing with a malevolent crimson light.

He suddenly found himself on his knees, utterly unable to stand anymore. What surprised him was the fact that his body wasn't being reabsorbed by the Akuryō no Moriki. He'd killed the pathetic little bitch. No human could survive _that_ kind of impact.

'**Unless…shit! She's still alive!'** Kogorō thought desperately as he attempted to stand up again. He couldn't let that girl near Sae-sama!

The blue flames now covered most of his lower body and were creeping up his chest. The red chakra was burning through his head and he was finding it harder and harder to think a coherent thought.

"**B…Banzai! Yanagi Ichizoku Banzai! (Ten Thousand Years to the Yanagi Clan!)"** Kogorō bellowed as, with a final effort, he staggered to his feet. It was the last thing he ever did as the flames of the _**Koenryū**_ met the chakra of the Kyuubi within him and reacted explosively.

The Tengu form of Inaba Kogorō expanded like a balloon being filled with hot air. The roots strained to hold the form together, but ultimately, the explosive force tore him apart. The final remnants of Inaba Kogorō, Chief Retainer of the Yanagi Clan and Strongest of the Inaba Clan, were consumed in a giant pillar of ghostly blue flames laced with crimson strands of chakra.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with the Rest of the Team…**

"Naruko-chan!" Ino screamed when they saw Naruko thrown into the castle. Hinata was weeping at the sight, with Kurenai comforting her.

"Dammit! She let her guard down again!" Anko snarled, "When I get my hands on her, she is going through Awareness Drills from Hell!"

"She surely couldn't live on after being thrown through who knows how many layers of stone, wood, concrete and metal at that speed!" Shin'ichi protested.

"Naruko is the last of the Uzumaki, a clan that was known for their strong Lifeforce." Kurenai said absently, "She has more chakra than any five Jonin and a healing factor that defies belief. If anyone could survive that impact, she could."

"Quite." Saeko said crisply as she pointed her spear at Shin'ichi, "But before we go any further, who are you? The _real_ Morimura Shin'ichi was brought in over a week ago and is currently hooked up to the Akuryō no Moriki."

All the Konoha shinobi drew back from 'Shin'ichi', who merely smiled at Saeko even with a sharp spear point a scant inch away from his nose.

"You certainly took your time in revealing this. May I ask why?" he asked calmly.

"I was interested in one who could push Kogorō to such an extent that he used the _**Jaaku-rin Maō no Jutsu**_." Saeko replied, "Now he has been taken care of, however…"

"…You move on to the next problem." the fake Village Elder finished, "I see. You always were curious, Saeko-chan."

"Do _not_ refer to me in such a familiar manner!" Saeko hissed, "The only one who could refer to me as such was my father!"

The fake shrugged and formed the Ram handsign. "_**Kai!"**_ he said calmly.

His facial features shifted and changed into a man in his fifties, rather than his nineties. His stooped back straightened and he gained a couple of inches in height. The remnants of snow-white hair turned steel grey and returned to cover most of his head.

Saeko gasped in shock and backed away. "Chichi-ue (Father)?!" she gasped.

The man gave a small bow towards the gobsmacked Kunoichi. "Pardon my deception. Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am Yanagi Gozaburo, formerly the Clan Head of the Yanagi Clan." he said in a well-educated voice, "As well as the father of both Sae and Saeko."

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**Next Chapter: A Father's Tale**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is of my own creation.**

_Any Jutsu with its name in Italic is from a computer game that I have given a rank. I do not own any jutsu so marked._

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Suiton: Ja no Kuchi no Jutsu - Water Style: Mouth of the Serpent Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _The user creates a spinning column of water and shapes it into the form of a snake. This snake is then launched at the foe. It follows the foe before swallowing them in its mouth and turning into a river, carrying the target away._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

_Suiton: Mizubōsō no Jutsu - Water Style: Rampaging Water Jutsu_

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user launches a large blast of water of equivalent strength of a high-pressure fire hose at the enemy. Hard to alter the direction of the blast once it is unleashed._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Ninpō: Shuriken Goshin no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Shuriken Giant Body Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Shurikenjutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user throws an Fūma Shuriken before using their chakra to massively enlarge it._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Uzumaki-Ryu Kenjutsu: Kai: ****Shin**** Kaen ****Ittōryōdan - Uzumaki Style Sword Technique: Revised: ****True**** Blazing Single Stroke Bisection**

Rank: Usual Rank: Mid-A. Rank When used by Naruko this Chapter: High-A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, Chakra Flow, Offensive, Uzumaki Clan Technique_

Effect: _The Kaen __Ittōryōdan performed by Naruko when the Kyuubi isn't messing with her chakra control. The blade is so hot it exceeds the temperature of molten magma in the Earth's core._

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**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Neki: ****Ne Shishi Saisei no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Root Demon: Root Limb Regeneration Jutsu**

Rank: Low-A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu, Supplementary, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _Only usable in the Jaaku Moriki form. The user regenerates any limbs that has been severed or ripped off of the Jaaku Moriki. If a limb has been severed by very extreme cold (Absolute Zero) or extreme heat (1500 degrees Celsius), only a hollow replacement is produced, much more fragile than the original limb._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Kekkai Ninjutsu: Kekkai Hōjin no Jutsu - Barrier Ninjutsu: Perimeter Barrier Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkai Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A Barrier Ninjutsu using explosive tags. The Tags are placed in a square formation. If someone enters the boundary, the tags go off when the person reaches the centre, killing them._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Juni-Ten Kekkai Hōjin - Twelve Points Perimeter Barrier**

Rank: High-B

Type: _Kekkai Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A variation of the basic Kekkai __Hōjin, this Jutsu uses twelve tags organised into a twelve-pointed star. Created by Uzumaki Naruko._

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**Yanagi Kinjutsu: Oniki: ****Yozora Ne Yari no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Demon Tree: Night Sky Root Spears Jutsu**

Rank: Mid-A

Type: _Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _Only usable when the Kinone Kangoku Jutsu is active. The enemy is pelted by a furious rain of root spears that are fired from the dome above them, not stopping until either all of the enemy die or the user ends the jutsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yanagi Kinjutsu: ****Saigo**** no ****Ōgi****: Moriki: ****Jaaku-rin Maō no Jutsu - Yanagi Forbidden Jutsu: Final Ultimate Technique: Forest Demon: Evil Forest Spirit Demon King Jutsu**

Rank: High-S

Type: _Kinjutsu, __Fūin__jutsu_,_ Ninjutsu, Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary, Yanagi Clan Jutsu_

Effect: _The most powerful Yanagi Kinjutsu available to the Inaba Clan, known only by Inaba Kogorō. By stabbing himself in the abdomen with a tantō covered in special seals and performing the correct series of handsigns, the user's flesh and blood body is devoured by the Akuryō no Moriki and a new body is created out of roots. The user's mind is then transferred into this new body. The body varies on the user, but is generally an enormous humanoid figure. Due to the high concentration of Natural Energy in the body, the user can execute Senjutsu attacks, which, while not as powerful as someone actually trained in Senjutsu could perform, are still immensely powerful. This jutsu lasts as long as the user's one true enemy, the enemy he used this jutsu against, is still alive._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Senpō: ****Tengu ****Tsubasa Toppū - Sage Art: Tengu Wing Squall**

Rank: High-A

Type: _Senjutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _Infusing his Tengu-form's wings with Natural Energy, Kogorō then flaps them, sending an immense windstorm at his opponent._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Keisei: ****Bunshin Hashigo - Formation: Clone Ladder**

Rank: A

Type: _Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu, Clone Jutsu, Tactic, Supplementary_

Effect: _One of Uzumaki Naruko's Shadow Clone Tactics, this particular one turns a host of Shadow Clones into a ladder, allowing the user and anyone they are with to climb them to a higher elevation._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Yōko Katon: Koenryū no Jutsu - Demon Fox Fire Style: Fox Flame Dragon Jutsu**

Rank: High-A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Tailed Beast Skill, Offensive, Kinjutsu, Kurama_

Effect: _A deadly Katon Jutsu, this jutsu feeds upon chakra and Natural Energy and is created by pure Yōki. The blue fire that this Jutsu produces is perfect for destroying chakra constructs or even acting as a counter to a powerful Ninjutsu attack. The more powerful the chakra/Natural Energy is, the hotter these flames burn. The only Katon Jutsu that is more deadly is the flames of Amateratsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Raiton: Hekireki no Jutsu - Lightning Style: Thunderclap Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _The user charges up static electricity in between their hands and amplifies it with chakra. When the user claps, a moderately strong lighting bolt is shot at the opponent. The name is a play on words. Thunderclap =Clap of the hands._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Senpō: ****Kūken no Jutsu - Sage Art: Void Fist Jutsu**

Rank: A

Type: _Senjutsu, Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _Kogorō charges a fist with Natural Energy and slams it towards his target, launching the air in front of it forward like a crude air cannon mixed with Natural Energy._

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_Kyuubi Naruko Rangeki: _**Yōki****Chūsha**_ \- Nine-Tails Naruko Wild Attack: _**Demonic Energy Injection**

Rank: B

Type: _Tailed Beast Skill, Taijutsu_

Effect: _While in the Initial Jinchuruki Form, Naruko unleashes a series of wild attacks, culminating in a chakra bullet that is injected directly into the opponent's chakra network, destroying it and killing the target._

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	16. A Father's Tale

**Author's Note: Yo. This is the Fifth Instalment of the Living Forest Demon Arc.**

**The Poll is now closed ladies and gentlemen. The winners are:**

**The Land of the Sea Arc**

**The Kurama Clan Arc**

**The Third Great Beast Arc**

**The Bounty Hunter Arc**

**The Ultimate Weapon Arc**

**Thank you all for voting.**

**I have received a few messages asking why Naruko didn't just finish off Kogorō when she had the chance. The answer is simple: Naruko's pride had taken a hit when she was almost defeated by Kogorō the previous day. She wanted to prove that she could beat him, even in his strongest form.**

**Yes, she will be getting her ass kicked by both Anko and Kurenai for this, but she feels it will be worth it.**

**Speaking of Anko, should I just give in and add her (and Kin) to the harem? She's a lot closer to Naruko than I had intended, but that's the way the dice fall, I suppose.**

**Oh, and Akuma-Heika? This is a world where people shoot **_**fire**_** out of their mouths and do impossible physical feats. The rigid natural laws that govern our world need not apply in the Shinobi World.**

**Enough from me, on with the Fic!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Kishimoto does, and I wonder if that is a good thing, considering he is overpowering Madara to a ridiculous extent.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 16: A Father's Tale**

**Yanagi Saeko's Laboratory, Mokuzai Kijō**

Kurenai's eyes narrowed at the man who had posed as Morimura Shin'ichi and now claimed to be Yanagi Gozaburo, the supposedly deceased Former Clan Head of the Yanagi.

'_What kind of jutsu did he use? It wasn't a __**Henge**__ or I would have spotted it from the get go._' Kurenai thought, '_Hinata's __**Byakugan**__ should have seen through it as well. More importantly, why would he take the place of the Elder of Morimura Village?_'

"Chichi-ue…" Saeko said shakily, her eyes wide, "How…I don't understand…I _saw_ your body in the coffin!"

Gozaburo smiled slightly. "What you and your sister saw was the dead body of my personal Inaba Clan Guardsmen under the effect of my _**Hijutsu: **__**Kōgeki-teki Gitai (Secret Jutsu: Aggressive Mimicry)**_. I was in a secret bunker in Morimura Village during 'my' funeral."

Anko groaned and massaged her temples. "This mission is getting more and more damned complicated and confusing!" she exploded, "Would someone _please_ tell me what the hell is going on!"

Her friend put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Anko slumped slightly and sent an apologetic look to Kurenai.

"Anko, you take Hinata and Ino and find Naruko." Kurenai said firmly, "Even if she's alive, she must be hurt badly. Heal her and let's end this mission."

Anko and the genin left the room at a run. Kurenai sighed and turned her attention to the two members of the Yanagi Clan in the room.

"Now. Start talking and it had better be good." Kurenai said coldly.

Gozaburo leaned back against a nearby table with a sigh. "Very well. This entire mess began twelve years ago. At the time, I was intent on making Saeko here my heir as I had deemed Sae too unstable to rule the Clan.

Sae was, quite understandably, upset and angry about my decision. I fear it also pushed her off the deep end as I began to fall ill about a year after choosing Saeko. I was being poisoned by Sae."

"Ane-ue…that…I…" Saeko was speechless.

"Saeko-chan, you have witnessed your sister commit countless atrocities over the last ten years. Why is hearing this such a shocking revelation for you?" the former Clan Head asked his youngest daughter gently.

"I…I thought that the Akuryō no Moriki had twisted her to the extreme, for her to have done everything that she has done." Saeko replied, tears falling from her eyes.

"You always try to think the best of others, Saeko-chan." Gozaburo sighed.

"As fascinating as this little father-daughter reunion is, can we move on to the part where your family history is actually relevant to our current situation?" Kurenai said pointedly.

"Ah, yes, of course." Gozaburo coughed in embarrassment, "Where was I…ah yes. The poison was a rare and expensive one, made from several poisonous plants and brewed for a month. With enough doses, a person will gradually weaken both physically and mentally until the heart gives out amidst dementia."

"I've heard of that poison." Kurenai said with a frown, "Its primary ingredients are found in Tsuchi no Kuni (Land of Earth) and Iwa no Kuni (Land of Stone). How did your daughter get her hands on it?"

"We captured an Nuke-nin from Iwagakure the day after the girls' fourteenth birthday. She must have searched his confiscated equipment before we sent him to Konoha and taken his poison kit." Gozaburo replied, "I figured out how Sae was poisoning me fairly quickly, as my evening sencha had become slightly bitter all of a sudden. The question was, what should I do about it? Have my own daughter executed for trying to poison me? Let her kill me? Announce to the whole Clan that Saeko was my heir?"

"I thought Saeko was your heir anyway?" Kurenai interrupted.

"Yanagi Clan tradition dictates that the identity of an heir be concealed until their eighteenth birthday." Saeko replied for her father.

"In a _Shinobi Clan_?" Kurenai asked incredulously. Eighteen was practically the start of middle age in the Shinobi World.

"We have been isolated in our own little world for so long that we have developed customs that ignore the realities outside the boundary of the forest." Gozaburo said in a deprecating tone of voice, "Anyway, the question was, what to do? Eventually, I decided to fake my own death at the approximate time the poison would have killed me. My Guard, Inaba Tsukasa, disagreed. I killed him and used my _**Kōgeki-teki Gitai no Jutsu**_ on him an turned him into an exact replica of me."

"Just what is that jutsu?" asked Kurenai curiously, "It isn't a variant of the _**Henge**_, is it?"

"To be precise, it is a highly advanced version of the _**Henge no Jutsu**_." Gozaburo replied, "It actually forces a physical transformation on the body of the user, although it is limited to minor body modification because of the immense chakra requirements."

He pulled his sleeves up to reveal that his arms were almost entirely covered in chakra storage seals, of which almost two-thirds were empty.

"These chakra storage seals are what powered the Jutsu." Gozaburo explained, "I maintained the Jutsu for a week, and used up over half of them. These seals can each store as much as an average Jonin-level ninja, just to give you a comparison…which is why your blond genin surprised me so much by actually physically transforming into a rat."

Saeko jerked in surprise. "She did what?!" she asked her father.

"She -and her Clones- used the basic _**Henge no Jutsu**_ to physically transform into rats, mice and spiders. They actually _became_ the same size, weight and shape of their target animal!" Gozaburo expounded.

"Impossible! Such an extreme physical transformation would take near Kage-level reserves to pull off and maintain!" Saeko exclaimed.

"Naruko is the last remaining member of the Uzumaki Clan of Uzu no Kuni." Kurenai replied, "The Uzumaki were famous for their immense chakra reserves, especially the Main Branch that Naruko is descended from."

"Incredible." Gozaburo shook his head, "To return to my tale, I faked my death and, while impersonating Inaba Tsukasa, made my way down to the village and spoke with Elder Morimura Shin'ichi. He gave me shelter in the bunker beneath the Elder's house.

Then I heard of the so-called 'Purification Massacre' that Sae carried out after she had joined with the Akuryō no Moriki.

I was forced to watch as my eldest daughter descended into insanity and my youngest daughter was enslaved. During the period of the fall of the Kashi, Kaba and Momiji Clans, I advised Shin'ichi to send people to the Kashi Clan's old storehouse/invasion stagepoint and prepare it for habitation…just in case. I also used my Doton Ninjutsu to scour the valley of any and all earth that the Akuryō no Moriki could grow through."

"You created the resistance!" Saeko gasped in realisation, pride for her father in her voice.

"I…did have a hand in _encouraging_ the creation of the group, yes." Gozaburo said modestly, "After the creation of the Rachi no Tanima, I hid again and concentrated on the creation of these seals. I am no Sealmaster, but the Clan Head of the Yanagi is required to learn at least some aspects of Fūinjutsu. It was for Sae's casual dismissal of Fūinjutsu, as well as her instability, that I chose Saeko over her."

"Ane-ue…" Saeko muttered.

"Affairs continued apace for a while." Gozaburo continued, "The Yanagi Clan and Inaba Clan ignored the villagers as long as they obeyed orders. There were some…_unpleasant_ incidents but, overall, life carried on as normal, albeit under a regime of terror.

Then, over a week ago, as I told you yesterday, an order came down from Sae for the village to send a basic C-Rank mission request to Konoha. I recognised it for what it was: a death sentence for this village. Shin'ichi and I evacuated as many of the non-combatants as we could before dispatching the messenger. Inaba Kogorō came to the village that night."

"And Morimura Shin'ichi was captured by him during the retreat." Kurenai stated grimly.

"Shin'ichi _allowed_ himself to be captured by him." Gozaburo corrected her gently, "He helped hold Kogorō off long enough for me to disguise myself as him and make my way to the resistance hideout with his notes about the Yanagi Clan, Sae's movements and the tunnel."

"Why?" Kurenai asked.

"He felt that I'd have a better chance at convincing the Konoha team that arrived to help with the plan." Gozaburo replied, "And, on that note, I think my daughter here has some explaining to do of her own."

Saeko nodded hesitantly. "Ane-ue…Sae-nee-sama needs to be stopped. The Tairiku-Rin Keikaku will reduce mankind to nothing otherwise."

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**With Anko, Ino and Hinata…**

"_**Katon: Endan no Jutsu!**_" Ino muttered before unleashing a moderately large fireball at her opponent. Next to her, Hinata clapped her hands.

"_**Futon: Reppūshō no Jutsu!**_" Hinata declared as a rushing wind exploded from around her and struck the Katon Jutsu rushing towards the three Inaba Clan guards running towards them with swords drawn, turning it into a raging inferno that struck the guards like the fist of an angry Kami.

One of them managed to dodge through a window in time to avoid the collaboration jutsu. The other two were flung back like dolls, screaming in pain from the wind-empowered Katon Jutsu. One struck his head on the wall as he crashed into it, knocking him out.

The last one staggered to his feet and charged at Hinata with a ninjatō drawn back to slice at her. Hinata merely assumed the ready stance of her _**Jūho**_ Taijutsu Style.

"Damn Hidden Leaf scum!" the man roared as he brought his blade down at her. The Hyuuga Heiress moved in close to the man, drew her hand back and struck the man in the solar plexus with an open palm strike.

"_**Jūho**__**pō**_: _**Shōtei! (Gentle Step Art: Palm Heel Strike!)**_" Hinata muttered as she felt the burst of chakra from her palm strike at the man's internal organs. He choked, dropped his sword and collapsed to the floor bonelessly.

"Nice work, Hinata, Flower Girl." Anko said from her position against the wall as she idly played with a kunai, "Looks like you've got those jutsu down, at least the basics of them. Time to move you back to Suiton once we get outta here, I think."

Anko's hand blurred and the Inaba guard who had dived out of the window slumped over as he attempted to climb back in through the same window, the kunai Anko had been playing with embedded in his forehead.

Ino looked at Hinata with a grin. "Y'know, if we're gonna be using this combination of jutsu repeatedly, we're going to have to come up with a name for It." she remarked as she rifled through the pockets of the paralyzed guard that Hinata had dealt with.

"Ano…h-how about…_**Konbi Ninjutsu: **__**Kajiba-Fū no Jutsu (Collaboration Ninjutsu: Firestorm Jutsu)**_." Hinata suggested as she dragged in the limp form of Anko's target and began to copy Ino's search of her target.

"Sounds good." Ino said as she dusted her hands. She had taken the ninjatō, sheath and all, from the fallen guard before binding his arms and legs behind him. Her father had taught her knot-tying techniques that were resistant to the _**Nawanuke no Jutsu **_when she was ten.

"Now, let's find Naru-chan." Anko said as she absently threw the last guard out the window, "I need to have a few _choice words _with her."

Ino shuddered slightly. The edge in Anko's voice spelt out to the Yamanaka Heiress that none of the words involved would be anything but kind, comforting words of joy.

She wouldn't want to be in Naruko's shoes when Anko-sensei tracked her down.

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**Naruko's Mindscape**

"Damn, that smarts." Naruko groused. She sat cross-legged on the sewer water that filled her mindscape. She was feeling phantom pain from the injuries that she had received from Kogorō's final attack.

"**It serves you right for dropping your guard against a strong opponent, even if he was on his last legs."** the giant form of the Kyuubi boomed in admonishment.

"I know!" Naruko snapped, "I couldn't help it though! Your chakra is immensely powerful and it took too much of my concentration to maintain the flow of it through me and into him!"

"**You didn't need to maintain a constant flow, idiot!"** Kyuubi snarled back at him, **"The initial infusion of my chakra was **_**more**_** than enough!"**

"Oh…" Naruko blushed, "I overdid it then…?"

"**By quite a bit."** Kyuubi said dryly, **"And, as a result, you have multiple broken bones, lacerated muscles and your internal organs are badly damaged. I'm concentrating on fixing those first before moving on to the torn ligaments and bones you have. It'll take about half an hour to fix you up."**

"That long? Damn, he _really_ messed me up." Naruko whistled, "By the way, why have I still got the knowledge of how to use the _**Koenryū**_ in my mind?"

"**Because, brat, you still need to kill that tree."** Kyuubi growled, **"The only thing that can kill it is the **_**Koenryū**_**, so I will allow you to use it one more time."**

"Thanks." Naruko told her tenant, "Just what the heck is the _**Koenryū**_ made out of anyway? I've never seen a Katon Jutsu like it."

"**It is a Jutsu that uses foxfire as a base, rather than ordinary chakra flames."** The Kyuubi explained, **"Now that you have been exposed to it, you ought to be able to create something similar, though the Koenryū is even more special than regular foxfire and you will not be able to replicate it."**

"Foxfire?" Naruko tilted her head slightly, "What's so special about it?"

"**It needs a small amount of Yōki, along with mental and physical energy, in order to be made."** Kyuubi replied, **"It should be easy for you to do, after a bit of practice, as your chakra is mingled with some of my Yōki because of the seal."**

"Cool!" Naruko said excitedly, "Jutsu that only I can use! Take that, Sasuke-teme!"

"**That's one thing we both agree on, we have to put that damned Uchiha in his place."** Kyuubi chortled, **"Though I am curious. Do you intend on making the pink and blond haired vixens your mates once you prove yourself to be superior to the Uchiha?"**

Naruko's face did a very good impersonation of Hinata's face as she flushed as red as her mother's hair at the Kyuubi's insinuation. She rapidly stomped down her mind's instinctive -and disturbingly graphically detailed- imagining of Sakura and Ino in her bed, naked and ready to sleep with her.

"SH-Shut up, Ero-Kitsune!" Naruko shrieked, "They are my friends! I don't even think they're bisexual!"

'**Huh…looks like the brat didn't see the blond vixen blushing after getting kissed on the cheek.'** Kyuubi thought with a suppressed chuckle, **'I think I'll leave those two alone for now, but the moon-eyed vixen still needs a push. Maybe a small push on my part will make the brat open her eyes…'**

"**Fine, brat, but let me ask you something: your moon-eyed teammate. Why does she faint all the time?"** Kyuubi asked.

"Eh?" Naruko started, "Hinata-chan? I…dunno."

"**She wants to be your mate, brat."** Kyuubi said with a foxy smirk, **"She faints because she's overwhelmed by you being in close proximity or, like the day you left on this accursed mission, by imagining herself in the blond vixen's place when you kissed her cheek."**

Naruko's eyes widened in shock. She was dense when it came to interpersonal relationships, but becoming lovers with Anko had allowed her to at least _begin_ to have some kind of insight into relationships.

She _had_ noticed Hinata sneaking looks at her during D-Rank missions and she had thought that the fury that she had shown against Yamanaka Haruo had been like a mother bear avenging her cub…or that of a mate avenging the death of her partner.

"But…she's the Heiress to the _Hyuuga Clan_!" the blond protested, "Why would she like _me_? I'm the village pariah!"

"**I would suggest that you ask her that, brat." **Kyuubi replied, **"She ****does**** like you brat. I am aware of what goes on around you, even when you are unconscious. She was very attentive when you were discovered in the underground lake. She is not one I would like to cross when one she loves is in peril. She was muttering numerous torture methods she would like to inflict upon the one who caused you such severe wounds."**

Naruko was struck speechless by what the Kyuubi said and started to think as she awaited her body being healed. The Kyuubi gave an amused snort as he closed his eyes and laid his head down on his front paws.

'**The brat is actually giving what I said to her serious consideration…interesting.'** he thought before he began to snooze.

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**Back with Kurenai…**

"'Tairiku-Rin Keikaku'?" Kurenai asked, "'Continental Forest Plan'?"

Saeko nodded seriously. "Hai. It is…evil. Sae-nee-sama plans on spreading the Akuryō no Moriki to every part of the continent, just as the name suggests."

Gozaburo shook his head slowly. "Sae is truly insane."

"The plan is difficult to accomplish, but all the perquisites have been fulfilled, barring one." Saeko said seriously, "A kick start via the sacrifice of concentrated chakra. In other words, of well trained shinobi."

"Members of the Yanagi and Inaba Clan aren't considered trained shinobi?" Kurenai asked.

"There aren't many members of the Yanagi Clan left." Saeko replied, "There are only thirteen of us left, if you include Chichi-ue. As for the Inaba Clan, Sae-nee-sama needs an army to conquer the continent, so she only sacrifices one if they fail her three times. That's why they are so fanatical."

"So, what is the plan exactly?" Gozaburo asked his daughter intently.

"A massive cloud of spores." Saeko replied, "Once the demon tree has had the final sacrifices, the seedlings planted in the three captured castles will fully mature and grow to a size comparable to the original tree, about half the size of this castle. They have been specifically modified to mass-produce spores. The spores can grow almost anywhere and can feed off of the smallest amounts of nutrients in the soil as they grow.

Then, once they grow to the size of a sapling, they can trap animals and feed off of their Natural Energy and latent chakra, starting small with rats and the like, until they grow large enough to capture humans."

"Kami!" Kurenai muttered.

"Once enough humans are drained to death, the trees will unleash their corpse soldiers upon the surrounding villages and towns at night in order to add to the corpse army. All the while, the original Akuryō no Moriki will be spreading and expanding its roots. It will be able to connect with the new seedlings via the roots as it grows." Saeko continued, "Once the roots have spread far enough, Sae-nee-sama will unleash the Inaba clan, supported by those who have been transformed permanently into _**Jaaku Moriki**_ and hired mercenaries. If everything goes according to plan, Sae-nee-sama will rule the continent after about a decade."

"The Hidden Villages wouldn't allow that to happen." Kurenai stated firmly, "I will grant you that the _**Jaaku Moriki **_are strong, but that is just against groups of weak opponents or a single moderately strong opponent. Konohagakure alone has several jonin who are insanely strong; Hatake Kakashi, the 'Copy Ninja', Maito Gai, Konoha's Strange Beast, Sarutobi Asuma, formerly of the 12 Guardian Ninja. I can't compare to them as I am a new jonin, but I _do_ hold the title of Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha, having almost unparalleled skill with Genjutsu. Anko is known as the Snake Mistress of Konoha, although she is only a Tokujo. She is an expert with short blades and is deadly with them, so she is far from helpless, even within this kekkai that blocks her summoning abilities."

Kurenai shook her head, "All your sister's plan is going to do is kill countless innocent people and spread the roots of the demon tree across the continent. This cannot be allowed to happen."

"I agree." Saeko said as she gripped the spear in her hand firmly, "Which is why both my sister and I must be killed."

"…What?" Kurenai asked after a moment.

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**With Anko, Hinata and Ino…**

"Dammit! Where the hell _is_ she?" Anko snarled. She was leading her two genin down another corridor at a brisk run. There was still no sign of Naruko, which was beginning to worry her. They had searched most of the top floors of the castle and had been unable to find a trace of her.

'_Could she have been thrown _through_ the walls and floors?_' Anko thought with a frown.

"Sensei, we can't go any further." Ino broke Anko out of her thoughts when they reached the end of the corridor. It was crumpled, smashed and full of wreckage. Obviously, this was the fringe of where Inaba Kogorō's _**Senpō: Kūken no Jutsu**_ had impacted.

An idea struck Anko. "Out the window." she ordered, "We've been going about this the wrong way.. We find where she entered the castle and follow the path she took till we find her."

The three kunoichi made their way out of a nearby window and gaped at the enormous pyre that marked the location where Inaba Kogorō had fallen. The pale blue flames were still burning strong as they steadily consuming the mass of roots that was all that remained of the Chief Retainer of the Yanagi Clan.

"W-wow." Hinata said with her eyes wide.

"Remind me not to make Naruko-chan this angry at me." Ino said with the shake of her head.

"Noted." Anko's voice was wry as she looked at the destruction her student and lover had caused, "Let's get to it. Watch your step, the roof might have been weakened by that bastard's attack."

Delicately, they picked their way across the wrecked rooftop and searched for Naruko's entry point into the castle.

"I think I've found it!" Ino called to her teammates. She was in the middle of the destruction caused by Kogorō's Jutsu and she was kneeling next to a hole that had been smashed through the wreckage _after_ Kogorō's Jutsu had damaged the roof.

"Looks like the best place to start." Anko agreed. She channelled chakra to her leg and smashed it into the side of the hole, widening it enough for her to drop down.

"Follow me." Anko said as she hopped down the opening, swiftly followed by the two younger kunoichi.

The corridor they dropped into was an unholy mess. The ceiling was crushed, the walls were broken and a member of the Yanagi Clan, wearing a pure white kimono stained with blood, lay beneath a fallen support beam, crushed to death.

"Damn, Kogorō mustn't have cared _who_ got hurt as long as he took Naruko down." Anko mused as she stabbed the dead man with a kunai to make sure he was actually dead.

"To be fair to the bastard, it took Naruko using that weird blue Katon Jutsu on his innards to push him to that point." Ino pointed out.

"H-he still tried to kill Naruko-chan." Hinata said heatedly, "He d-deserved everything he got!"

"Easy, 'Nata-chan." Anko said absently as she examined the next hole Naruko's body had created as it travelled through the air, "He's gone now, so let your anger go. It'll only interfere with your judgement in combat."

"H-Hai, Anko-sensei." Hinata replied quietly, blushing slightly at the nickname Anko had just called her by.

"She must have curled into a ball just before she impacted on the castle roof, and then reinforced her body with chakra to withstand the impacts." Anko concluded, "No way could a human body, even a shinobi's body, break through solid wood and brick like this otherwise."

She enlarged the hole as she had the last one and dropped down to the next floor.

As they continued to follow Naruko's trail, Anko was becoming steadily more concerned. Even reinforcing the body with chakra had its limits and Naruko, despite her efforts at the Tree Climbing Exercise, was still nowhere near at the point that she could reinforce her body effectively against the level of punishment that it appeared had been thrown at her.

"Dammit, how far down did she get thrown? This is ridiculous!" Ino muttered after they dropped down the fourth consecutive hole.

"I-I hope Naruko-chan is alright." Hinata whispered.

"She survived the last attempt Kogorō-teme made at killing her, she'll survive this one." Anko replied firmly.

"Right." Ino agreed as they dropped down yet another hole, which turned out to be the last one. Lying in a small crater in the floor was Naruko, unconscious and curled into a ball.

Anko made it to the girl's side in a flash, closely followed by Ino and Hinata. For the second time in 24 hours, Anko ran through the handsigns for the _**Shindan no Jutsu (Diagnosis Jutsu)**_. What the complicated Iryō Jutsu told her made her jaw drop.

"What the…she's barely hurt!" The Snake Mistress exclaimed, "All she has are a few minor fractures and a torn ligament!"

"T-t-t-t-that shouldn't be possible, not a-after being thrown through seven floors of solid wood and stone!" Hinata said in disbelief.

Ino just shrugged and said, "This is Naruko we're talking about here, she does the impossible every time she makes her one-woman-army."

"True." Anko chuckled as she flipped through the handsigns for the _**Shōsen no Jutsu**_ and then held the green glow of medical chakra over Naruko's body, which made the blond kunoichi relax immediately.

"Looks like she recognises your chakra, Anko-sensei." Ino remarked.

"Nah, all Iryō Ninjutsu that heal have a mild relaxing effect on the target's body." Anko replied as she moved the jutsu up and down Naruko's body before ending the jutsu.

"She's alright now, just unconscious." Anko said as she unsealed her water canteen from a scroll, "And this ought to cure that."

Unceremoniously, the Snake Mistress dumped the contents of her canteen upon Naruko's face, causing the girl to come to consciousness spluttering and swearing like a sailor.

"Ah, Naru-chan. Nice to have you back in the land of the living." Anko said with faux-cheerfulness, "I hope you enjoyed your nap, **'cause it was** **the last decent sleep you get for the next month!**"

Naruko zipped behind Hinata as Anko shouted the last part at her, making the Hyuuga Heiress 'eep!' in surprise. Ino just sighed in irritation.

"Anko-sensei, can we wait until we _finish_ the mission before you drag Naruko across coals and whatnot?" the blond Yamanaka asked with another sigh.

"Meh. Spoilsport." Anko pouted at Ino, making the three genin sweatdrop at the childishness of the Tokujo.

"There shall be no 'after' for you, Konoha scum!" a voice shrieked from behind them.

An enraged woman with long black hair in a ponytail stood in the middle of the corridor. She wore light armour emblazoned with the Yanagi Clan and carried an odd looking weapon unsheathed in her right hand, which the Konoha kunoichi presumed was a Nagamaki.

"Yanagi Sae, I presume." Anko said coldly.

"Indeed! I am the mistress of this castle and ruler of the lands of Morimura." Sae replied with a snarl, "And it looks like I have to deal with the rats that have snuck in myself, since that fool Kogorō failed!"

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**With Kurenai…**

Gozaburo stared at his youngest daughter in incomprehension. She could _not_ have just said what he thought she just said. She could not have just said that she had to die as well as her sister.

"Saeko…just what do you mean by that?" he finally asked hoarsely.

His daughter returned his gaze evenly, with a serenity he didn't see how she could be feeling now. "Father, I mean exactly what I said. Sae-nee-sama and I must perish in order to bring the nightmare of the Akuryō no Moriki to an end. I have been preparing for this day for the past decade." Saeko replied.

"Why haven't you done anything before now?" Kurenai asked, "If by dying you can stop the demon tree, why didn't you do that a long time ago?"

"Because Sae-nee-sama has had me watched like a hawk." Saeko replied, "I have had to act as a gardener and cultivate my plans with caution and foresight. The key portion of my plan was achieved when Sae-nee-sama ordered me to link my life to hers with a seal so that if she dies, the Akuryō no Moriki will kill me."

"I fail to see-" Kurenai began to say before her eyes widened in realisation. "Of course! Sae has no experience in Fūinjutsu, so she wouldn't know what to look for!"

Saeko nodded with a slightly smug smile. "Quite. If she is killed, I will indeed die. However, the seal she bears that allows that also has several other functions. Weakening her chakra control, reducing her basic kinaesthesia…as well as a seal of my own design, the _**Mie**__**sōgoshi Fūjin (Triple Mutual Death Seal)**_. As long as I die first, followed by my sister, the demon tree will suffer a cataclysmic backlash that will severely weaken it, perhaps enough for it to be killed."

"And your seal?" Kurenai asked.

"It connects me to the various pieces of Fūinjutsu that I have created, barring Sae-nee-sama's seal." Saeko replied, "Once I die, all Fūinjutsu connected to me will fade and be destroyed, making the roots of the tree less resilient and the bark will no longer act as armour.. The kekkai will also fall."

"The two teams of ANBU will be able to get in!" Kurenai realised.

"Is there no other way, my daughter?" Gozaburo asked sadly.

"I am sorry, Chichi-ue." Saeko said softly, "The Akuryō no Moriki is too strong to do anything else."

"I see." Gozaburo sighed, "Then we had better find your sister. If the Yanagi are to become extinct, we shall, at the very least, enter the void together."

"Chichi-ue, you do not have to die!" Saeko protested.

"It is my duty as your failure of a father." Gozaburo said firmly, "No parent should ever live longer than their children."

Saeko teared up but bowed in reluctant acquiescence to her father.

Kurenai looked on sadly. This was a tough situation all around. The father not wanting his daughter to die and the daughter not wanting her newly rediscovered father to die either.

Sometimes, Kurenai hated the realities of the Shinobi World.

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**With the Rest of Team 8...**

Naruko looked the woman up and down and gave a contemptuous snort.

"This is the source of all this trouble? Looks can be deceiving, but man, she totally doesn't fit the 'insane megalomaniac bitch' that I've been hearing about." she said scathingly.

Sae looked scandalised. "How dare scum such as you talk about me like that!" she squawked, "I am descended from Morisato Kazenotsuchi himself!"

"And Hinata-chan and I are descended from the _Rikudō Sennin _himself!" Naruko shot back, "Get over yourself, you idiotic hack of a kunoichi!"

"Why, you…!" Sae growled.

Naruko ignored her. "Has anybody seen my _**Kongōgatana**_?" she asked as she looked around the corridor they were in, "I think I still had it when that bastard threw me in here."

"Looking for _this_?" Sae purred as she gestured at her feet, where the Konoha kunoichi could see that she was standing atop Naruko's Adamantine Katana.

"How the hell did it get over there?" Naruko muttered before raising her voice, "Oi! Get your foot off of that, Teme!"

A large tick mark developed on Sae's forehead. "I order you to cease addressing me so boorishly!" she said imperiously.

"Kiss my ass, bitch." Naruko sneered back before making a half-Tiger handsign and saying, "_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kai!**_"

The black bladed katana vanished in a puff of chakra smoke, making Sae stumble in surprise. Naruko looked relieved once the gauntlet reappeared on her arm.

"What manner of weapon _is_ that sword?" Sae demanded as she drew Suiyō from its sheath, "I have never heard of a weapon that can change its form like that!"

"You obviously haven't heard of the Hiramekarei from Kirigakure." Anko noted as she drew a kunai.

Naruko stared at Sae distastefully. "I have no reason to answer your questions, Yanagi Sae." she replied.

"Scum!" Sae howled. She assumed a two-handed grip on her nagamaki, her right hand near the Tsuka and left hand halfway down the blade, and charged the Konoha kunoichi, slicing at Naruko with her blade

Anko intercepted the blade with her kunai and delivered a kick to Sae's stomach, sending her flying back. Ino and Hinata moved to support her.

"Anko-sensei, I have to destroy the demon tree." Naruko whispered to her lover, "I can use the same jutsu that I used to defeat Kogorō to destroy the demon tree. Can you hold her off while I take care of it?"

"What?" Anko asked in disbelief, "Are you serious?"

"A hundred percent serious." Naruko replied.

"What are you Konoha scum whispering about?!" Sae demanded. She looked furious at being kicked of all things.

"Details, Gaki!" Anko demanded, ignoring the petulant demands of Sae.

"Look, the jutsu I used to defeat Kogorō devours chakra and Natural Energy like I go through ramen." Naruko said quietly, "The more it eats, the more powerful the jutsu becomes. I can only use it once more before I forget how to use it and I'd really think that you'd want rid of the damn tree sooner rather than later."

Anko stared at her for a second. "And it requires you to power it with the 'forbidden jutsu' that made the really murderous aura when you were fighting Kogorō a while back?" she asked.

Naruko nodded once. "I'll give you and Kurenai-sensei a full explanation after this is all over. But for now, trust me." she said, ignoring the curious looks on Ino and Hinata's faces.

"Fine. Go burn the tree to ashes." Anko said with a sigh, "But that explanation of yours had better be _good_."

"Hai, Hai…" Naruko said with an eye roll. "Hinata-chan, Ino-chan, stay with Anko-sensei in case Sae-teme over there brings in reinforcements."

With those words, the Uzumaki Heiress turned on her heel and sprinted down the corridor, away from her teammates and the insane leader of the Yanagi Clan.

"Coward! Come back and fight!" Sae shrieked and made to chase after the red-clad kunoichi.

Anko stepped in front of her smoothly as she drew a second kunai. "What's wrong, bitch? Not interested in finishing our dance first? I'm hurt." The Snake Mistress cooed at Sae.

"Impudent whore!" Sae screamed as she swung her blade at Anko, who merely leaned back slightly to let the blade pass by her face by an inch.

"You might want to do something about that temper." Anko noted, "It might get you in over your head someday…like _right now!_"

Anko ran at Sae, wielding her two kunai expertly, a sadistic and eager smile plastered across her face as she charged.

She was going to _enjoy_ this.

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**Next Chapter: The Akuryō no Moriki**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is of my creation.**

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**Hijutsu: ****Kōgeki-teki Gitai - Secret Jutsu: Aggressive Mimicry**

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary,__Fūin__jutsu_

Effect: _An advanced, but inefficient, variant of the standard Henge no Jutsu, this jutsu enforces an actual change on the users body. However, due to limits in chakra, all this jutsu can do is make the user change to look like another human. The user's height can be altered slightly, as can the weight and body type. The user's gender cannot be changed as it would take an enormous amount of chakra to do so._

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Jūhopō: Shōtei - Gentle Step Art: Palm Heel Strike

Rank: Mid-D

Type: _Taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai_

Effect: _One of the more basic moves in the Hyuuga Clan's taijutsu arsenal, the __Shōtei is little more than striking the opponent with an open-palm strike to the chest whilst injecting chakra into the opponent's body via the tenketsu, temporarily paralyzing them and damaging the internal organs._

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**Konbi Ninjutsu: ****Kajiba-Fū no Jutsu - Collaboration Ninjutsu: Firestorm Jutsu**

Rank: C

Type: _Collaboration Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A collaboration jutsu involving two users combining the Katon: Endan no Jutsu and the Futon: Reppūshō no Jutsu into a single attack._

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**Shindan no Jutsu - Diagnosis Jutsu**

Rank: A

Type: _Iryō Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A complicated diagnostic jutsu that allows the user to gather data on any abnormalities with the target's body, as well as any foreign chemicals or objects present. On a level of difficulty equal to the Shōsen no Jutsu._

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	17. The Akuryō no Moriki

**Authors note; Hello people. I am back. Here is the Last Chapter of The Living Forest Demon Arc.**

**I am late (VERY late) because of my computer deciding that it needed a weeklong vacation. AKA, it broke down. THEN I had to share my computer with a houseguest, who practically had to be pried off it with a crowbar (I ****know**** you are reading this, so do not bother denying it.) so progress was slow.**

**By way of apology, I made this chapter supersized. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 17: The Akuryō no Moriki**

**Basement, Mokuzai Kijō**

Yanagi Sae snarled as the purple-haired woman dodged and parried her every attack with an ease that chilled her. No matter how she aimed the blade of her nagamaki, the cursed kunoichi somehow managed to barely avoid it or block it with one of her two kunai.

That rankled her immensely. Sae took pride in her skills with Suiyō, her honour blade. She had never fought an opponent while wielding it that had not fallen to the _**Ryūketsu Suiyō (Bloody Weeping Willow) **_style that only the Head of the Yanagi Clan could learn.

Moreover, she was being held off by a woman who dressed like a common whore and wielded a pair of kunai, the most basic ninja tool in the world! It was…_galling_, to say the least

'_This woman is no ordinary kunoichi._' Sae thought with a frown, '_She wields those…_kunai_…with the skill of a master, and her speed and strength are very impressive as well. Who _is_ she?_'

Anko by contrast was enjoying herself. She had been trained by Orochimaru, and he disdained taijutsu as being one of the weakest of all of the ninja arts. He _much_ preferred slicing his enemies to ribbons with his favourite weapon, the _**Kusanagi no Tsurugi (Grass Cutting Sword)**_, a legendary sword that could cut through almost anything and excreted a deadly poison, which changed its composition with every cut.

That was only when he was playing with his enemies and not blasting the hell out of his enemies with the considerable stock of ninjutsu he had at his command.

Part of Anko's training had included having to dodge her sensei as he attacked her with the deadly blade. Compared to the insane speed that Orochimaru attacked her with, dodging this woman's attacks was child's play.

'_Still, even though she's not as fast as the Hebi-teme, she is quite fast._' Anko thought as she dodged her opponent's attack again, '_Her form is good and her blows are precise. Not only that, the unusual style she uses is throwing me off. It freely mixes sword stances, spear stances and a few axe stances, just as Gozaburo said it would. As it is, I can't find an opening to counterattack. If this damn kekkai wasn't blocking me from using my snakes, I'd wrap her up in a __**Sen'eijashu**__ before she could blink!_'

On the sidelines, Ino and Hinata kept an eye out for any reinforcements that might come to Sae's aid. They made sure to keep well away from where the two older kunoichi were fighting. Ino had slipped the ninjatō's sheath strap over her right shoulder and had sheathed the blade so she could get used to the weight.

"Ano…are you p-planning on learning kenjutsu, Ino-chan?" Hinata asked as she scanned the surrounding area with her _**Byakugan**_.

Ino shrugged, "Yeah, I was thinking that I could use a more flexible skill set. What I have would be good if I was on the standard Ino-Shika-Cho team, but this isn't an Ino-Shika-Cho team, so I have to pull my own weight."

Hinata nodded. "M-Me too. I would ordinarily be assigned to a Scouting and Tracking Team b-because of my _**Byakugan**_, which would mean I wouldn't have to concentrate on becoming stronger, just quicker and stealthier. Now that I'm o-on this team and have access to my mother's scrolls, I can get stronger. Much stronger. I have n-no idea if I should chose a weapon, though. The Hyuuga d-disdain the use of any except the shuriken and kunai."

The Yamanaka Heiress snorted. "No offence Hinata-chan but more than a few of the Hyuuga's prejudices are stupid."

"I-I agree." Hinata replied, "But I-It's not w-without reason in this case. D-Depending on the weapon, the katas might conflict too much with the _**Juken's**_ kata."

"Huh." Ino considered that for a moment before replying, "I'd say that what the Hyuuga don't know about won't hurt them. Besides, your _**Jūho **_isn't as rigid as the _**Juken**_, so it might adapt better to a weapon of some sort."

Hinata nodded then narrowed her eyes. "Ino-chan, there are three Inaba Clan members approaching our location. We should strike them first so Sae cannot give them permission to use their Kinjutsu."

Ino nodded and drew a kunai. "Let's get to it." she said simply and allowed Hinata to lead the way, leaving Anko and Sae to continue their clash.

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**With Naruko**

"Die, Konoha scum!" The white clad man howled as he drew a tantō from its sheath and charged at Naruko with murder glaring from his eyes.

Naruko sighed. "This is really getting old." she muttered as she dodged to the side and drove a fist into the man's solar plexus, making him gasp and choke as he fell to his knees, the tantō dropped and forgotten as the man cradled his chest as he attempted to get his breath back.

Naruko chopped at the back of the man's neck, rendering him unconscious.

Indeed, it was getting old. The closer Naruko got to the chamber where the Akuryō no Moriki was housed, the more members of the Inaba Clan and Yanagi Clan seemed to come out of the woodwork. Most of the time, Naruko just knocked them through a wall with a chakra enhanced kick or punch.

The few Yanagi that she came across, she dealt with swiftly. No _way_ did she want to have to fight _another_ _**Jaaku Moriki**_. Fortunately, the Yanagi severely underestimated her and severely overestimated their own skills, so taking them down had been fairly easy.

Moreover, they were idiots. Seriously, they charged forwards as if they were Susano'o the Tempestuous God of Storms and Valour incarnate.

'_Was I ever that stupid?_' Naruko wondered absently as she bound the man hand and foot, '_…Yes, I was. Damn._'

Making a mental note to apologise to her Ji-chan for being so idiotic when she was younger, Naruko finished tying up the Yanagi Clansman and moved down the corridor, moving swiftly but silently.

After five minutes, and another annoying encounter with a member of the Inaba Clan, Naruko came to a large pair of metal doors bearing the kanji symbol '**森里**' (Morisato) across them.

"This looks like the place," Naruko concluded aloud.

'_**No**_**, I thought it was the door to the changing room!'** The Kyuubi growled sarcastically, **'Of course it's the right room! I can feel the foul chakra of the so-called 'demon tree' from here!'**

'_Eh? I can't feel a thing._' Naruko replied in surprise.

'**I am a being of pure chakra, brat.'** Kyuubi growled, **'My chakra sensory capabilities make the best shinobi Sensor look like an infant by comparison.'**

'_Yeah, yeah. How am I for another infusion of your chakra?_' Naruko asked as she rolled her eyes at the arrogance of her tenant.

'**You need more time before I can give you any.'** the Kyuubi replied, **'Another couple of minutes at least. Use this time to examine the wall to your right. There seems to be a sign of some sort on it.'**

Naruko looked and there was indeed a sign on the wall. She read it:

"**WARNING!**

**Toxic Chakra Area ahead! Ensure that exposure is kept to a **_**maximum**_** of five minutes if you do not have a filtering seal!"**

"Well that's blunt and to the point." Naruko remarked, "Is there any need for me to be worried about this 'toxic chakra'?"

'…**I honestly couldn't tell you.'** The ancient fox admitted begrudgingly, **'My chakra is by far more corrosive and deadly, and your body can withstand it at a reasonable level for fifteen minutes. This 'demon tree' however is an unknown. Its chakra ****is**** corrosive and toxic and you haven't been exposed to it in any great quantities, so you have no resistance against it as you do with my own. I would advise caution, just to be on the safe side.'**

"Great." Naruko muttered. She made a couple of Shadow Clones to stand guard for her, plopped down onto the floor with a grunt and began to check all of her equipment was in order before she entered the room.

She was reckless, not stupid, after all.

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**With Kurenai, Saeko and Gozaburo**

The three shinobi ran through the corridors of the castle, stealthily avoiding the few guards that were still active with the consummate skill and ease of experienced jonin.

Gozaburo and his daughter lead the way, with Kurenai bringing up the rear, both because the two Yanagi knew the castle better than her and so the Genjutsu Mistress could keep an eye on the both of them at the same time, just in case.

"Where are we going?" Kurenai asked as they started down a flight of stairs.

"The lower levels." Saeko replied, "I'm willing to bet that at the first sign of trouble, Sae-nee-sama headed straight for the Communion Chamber to connect to the Akuryō no Moriki."

"Why? The blasts should lead her to conclude that the enemy is within the castle already." Kurenai stated in puzzlement.

"Which is _exactly_ why she'll hole-up in the Communion Chamber." replied Saeko, "For all her bluster and rage, Sae-nee-sama is quite convinced that she is far too valuable to lose to a lowly intruder, so she will hide in the Communion Chamber and only venture out to defend it from an intruder who comes to close to it."

Gozaburo halted at the bottom and tilted his head to one side as he listened to something.

"I hear the sound of steel on steel." He said softly and gestured to the nearest corridor, "That way."

"That's the shortest way to the Communion Chamber!" Saeko exclaimed, "Do you think it's your blond-haired genin, Kurenai-san?"

Kurenai sweatdropped as she envisioned Naruko chasing after Sae like a woman possessed.

"Quite likely." she said.

"We must hurry!" Saeko said as she moved towards the corridor hurriedly, "They can't kill Sae-nee-sama before I die!"

They hurried faster, abandoning all pretences of stealth as they raced to reach the scene of the fight. What they saw when they arrived at the end of the hallway was shocking, yet almost comical.

In the middle of the corridor, Ino and Hinata were sealing weapons taken from defeated enemies into scrolls. Around them lay six members of the Inaba Clan, unconscious and tied up. Another one sat on his haunches, rocking back and forth, muttering incoherently under his breath. Kurenai recognised the symptoms to overexposure to _**Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu**_.

Presumably, he had been hit with a double-dose of the jutsu by the two genin. Kurenai was actually proud that the two girls had gotten so skilled with the first genjutsu that she had taught them that they had almost certainly broken the mind of the rocking Inaba Clansman.

Unsurprisingly, Hinata spotted them first. Kurenai was under the impression that her surrogate daughter had been monitoring them since they began their descent down the stairs, thanks to her _**Byakugan**_.

"Kurenai-sensei. S-Saeko-san" Hinata nodded at them politely before zeroing in on Gozaburo, "And who are you? W-Where is Shin'ichi-san?"

Kurenai quickly brought the two genin kunoichi up to date regarding the Shin'ichi/Gozaburo situation before asking the question that had been chomping at the bit to get out since she had laid eyes on her two students, "Who's fighting Sae?"

"Anko-sensei." Ino replied as she passed the last scroll to Hinata, who tucked it into the inside of her coat, "Naruko-chan ordered us to take care of any Inaba or Yanagi who tried to support Sae before she ran off."

"Ran off? Where to?" Kurenai asked, confused, and not a little irate, that her third genin had done a bunk.

"She s-said she had a jutsu that could destroy the demon tree." Hinata said to the astonishment of the two Yanagi, "She said it was t-the same one she used to defeat Inaba Kogorō, I-I think."

"Impossible!" Saeko exclaimed, "The Akuryō no Moriki is all but immune to all jutsu! I have read the journals of Morisato Kazenotsuchi himself and there is no way to harm the main trunk of the tree! He tried everything he could think of and he was the one who _created_ the demon tree in the first place!"

"Apparently, the jutsu feeds on chakra and Natural Energy, so it's perfect to use against it." Ino said with a frown, and then shrugged.

"…Let's go and subdue Sae, shall we?" Kurenai said with a sigh. It seemed Naruko was determined to push her sensei's tolerance to its limit.

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**With Anko…**

The two women separated from their latest clash, skidding a couple of feet back from the force of the blows they had just exchanged.

Yanagi Sae glared at her opponent in frustration. This was pointless. None of her attacks were getting through the purple-haired woman's defences. She wasn't superhumanly fast or anything, but wherever the blade of her nagamaki was, inevitably her foe was not.

'_I cannot believe I have to do this._' Sae thought incredulously, '_I cannot believe I am going to have to use one of the three final moves of __**Ryūketsu Suiyō **__**Ryū**_ _in order to defeat this _pathetic_ Hidden Leaf whore. Unbelievable._'

Anko was enjoying herself immensely. The woman was good enough to give her a workout whilst not being strong enough to actually kill her. The Snake Mistress wasn't going to kill the woman. If she did, Nai-chan would scold her for acting without forethought. Again.

Suddenly, Sae shifted stances. She flipped the nagamaki so that the blade of her weapon faced the ceiling, shifted her lower body into an offensive stance and altered her grip on the handle so it was more loose and flexible.

'_Looks like she's getting serious at long last._' Anko thought, her sadistic grin growing slightly larger, '_Let's see what she plans on doing._'

"Finally getting serious with me, eh?" she called to her opponent, "It's about time! I was getting bored!"

"Why you lowly peasant!" Sae snarled, "You will rue the day you mocked me!"

"Talk is cheap! Come at me if you dare!" Anko goaded her.

"As you like it!" Sae growled, "_**Ryūketsu Suiyō **__**Ryū: Kushizashi no Yōsai! (Bloody Weeping Willow Style: Fortress of Impalement!)**_"

Sae leapt forwards and started thrusting her nagamaki with incredible speed, all of the strikes blurring into nigh invisibility as she flew towards Anko.

"Holy…!" Anko swore as she desperately weaved her kunai in a pattern to block most of the strikes aimed for her vital areas. She managed to block all but one strike that grazed the top of her right shoulder before the Snake Mistress leapt out of range.

'_Fuck! That was almost as fast as one of the Hebi-teme's almost-serious attacks!_' Anko mentally cursed as she skidded to a stop and grabbed the single wound she had received from the woman. It was shallow and the blood had already stopped flowing as she began to heal it.

Sae was dumbfounded. She had practiced that technique for over a decade and she had never even _dreamed_ that someone could actually manage to _block_ all but a single shallow cut! It was physically impossible!

Then, she noticed the green chakra of Iryō Ninjutsu playing around the woman's hand as she held her shoulder. A Med-nin! There hadn't been a Med-nin in Morimura for over a decade and fate just drops one into the palms of her hand right when such a thing is necessary, on the eve of her conquest of the continent.

Anko watched as a greedy and slightly insane grin found its way onto Sae's face and raised an eyebrow.

"What's the grin for?" Anko asked.

"I've changed my mind." Sae declared, "I'm going to capture you so I can use your medical talents for my sake. Consider yourself honoured, trash."

A tick mark appeared on Anko's forehead. She hated being treated as if she was property. Some of the more ignorant Konoha Shinobi thought like that and, before she had been promoted to Tokujo, three had tried their hand at overpowering her to have their way with her.

She had tried shove their heads up each other's asses in return. She had been more successful than the attacking Ninja. Ibiki had smirked when he showed up to drag the fools to T&amp;I, which was the equivalent of laughing uproariously for him.

Now this…_little girl _thought she would just bend over and take that kind of attitude from her? Oh, she was _so_ getting her ass kicked for this.

"Big words coming from a little girl who had to use what must be a final technique in order to _barely scratch _me." Anko bit out coldly.

"Why you filthy peasant, how dare you speak to me like that!" Sae snarled, "I will be the new ruler of this continent in less than a decade! Respect your betters!"

"I will -when I see one!" Anko shot back dismissively.

Sae's eyes became as hard as flint as she glared at Anko. "I see that I'll have to show you your place, trollop." she snarled as she raised Suiyō threateningly.

"Bring it, bitch!" Anko snarled back as she adjusted the grip on her kunai slightly, "By the time I'm through with you, you'll be wishing that I had killed you quickly!"

The two women were about to charge at each other again when a voice spoke up from behind Anko.

"_**Magen: Jubaku Satsu no Jutsu! (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death Jutsu!)**_" Kurenai hissed as she glared at Sae. Evidently, she had heard Sae's rant at Anko and was unhappy about her friend being threatened like that.

Sae froze as a tree rapidly grew behind her and wrapped her in constricting branches. She shrieked in fury and writhed around as she tried to get free of the binding genjutsu.

"Nai-chaaaaan! You're spoiling my fun!" Anko whined with a pout.

"I just stopped you from ruining the plan, actually." Kurenai retorted as Ino and Hinata emerged from the tunnel and glared at Sae as well.

Anko sulked as she put one of her kunai away, muttering darkly under her breath as she did.

Saeko stepped out from behind Kurenai and gazed sadly at her elder sister.

"Ane-ue, this has to stop." she said solemnly.

"_YOU!_" Sae bellowed, "Traitor! How _dare_ you betray the Yanagi!?"

"I'm afraid you have no leg to stand on, Sae." A male voice spoke from behind Saeko who moved to one side to reveal the speaker.

Sae gaped in disbelief at the person who stepped forward. "No, it can't be…it's impossible! I killed you! I buried your corpse!" she shrieked.

"And yet I still stand before you, alive." Yanagi Gozaburo said with an expression of sadness across his face, "And as your sister has stated, it is time -and long _past_ time! - that this insanity comes to an end."

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**With Naruko**

"Right, that's everything." Naruko muttered. She had thoroughly checked her gear and was now ready to enter the chamber where she presumed that the main part of the Akuryō no Moriki was contained.

'**Brat, be very careful.'** Kyuubi warned her, **'Unlike that fool Kogorō, the false demon tree will not underestimate you. It will likely attack as soon as an opportunity presents itself.'**

'_Got it._' Naruko replied to her tenant.

The blond genin examined the doors before her. They were designed to keep people out, no doubt about it. What was also not in doubt was that they were intended to keep something contained.

The many locking mechanisms adorning the door show that the person who built it was both paranoid and deathly afraid of what it contained.

'_Not that I blame the guy._' Naruko reflected, '_Just the roots of the damn thing are hard enough to handle, so I can't imagine what the main trunk of the tree is like._'

Cautiously, Naruko looked for a way to open the door. Even with chakra-enhanced strength, there was no way she could open them by pushing them, so she doubted anyone else could.

That left an opening mechanism of some sort that opened the door. After a moment, the Uzumaki Heiress spotted a pair of cranks to either side of the door.

"_**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_" Naruko created a pair of Shadow Clones and got them to start cranking away at them. Slowly, torturous inch by torturous inch, the great doors creaked open, revealing a dark passage.

"Close the doors behind me." She told her clones, "And don't let anyone in after me, got it?"

"Right, Boss." the clones saluted her with one hand.

Taking in a deep breath Naruko strode into the passage, her clones sealing the doors shut behind her with a muffled 'clunk', leaving the only illumination the glow from the roots that made up the walls and ceiling.

'_Damn, this is getting ridiculous._' Naruko thought, '_Just seeing those damn roots makes me feel unwell. I have to get control of myself!_'

'**It can't be helped, brat.'** Kyuubi informed her, **'Even a human like you can sense the wrongness that this so-called demon tree exudes when you are close to it. Your body interprets it as nausea, not too dissimilar to morning sickness.'**

'_Urgh, thanks for the insight on what it's like to be pregnant…NOT!_' Naruko shot back as she pulled a face. She recognised that she was responsible for restoring the Uzumaki Clan and to do that, she had to become pregnant at some point, but her womb's current…_condition_…and her lack of attraction to any males her own age had allowed her to put such thoughts off for now.

'**It's part of being female, brat.'** Kyuubi told her, a smirk in his voice at the discomfort of his jailor.

'_Yeah, a part I can put off until my womb isn't poisoned by the toxin that remains in it!_' Naruko retorted, her face flushed red with embarrassment and a touch of anger, '_Now hush! I'm trying to sneak up on a demonic tree that will likely try to kill me in case you had forgotten!_'

The fox subsided with a snort and Naruko continued down the tunnel. She saw concrete in places where the roots were not packed in tightly, so she figured that the tunnel had been expanded via digging in the last decade, as concrete had only been invented relatively recently.

A pulsing red glow from ahead of her caught Naruko's attention. She crouched on all fours and crept forwards to the opening ahead of her and peered in. What she saw made her eyes widen.

The chamber beyond the tunnel was enormous, the far wall only just being within sight of the naked eye and covered entirely in roots. Dome shaped, the chamber was sparsely furnished for its size, only having a hundred or so two metre-high glass capsules at the north, south, east and west locations of the chamber.

Contained within them were human beings.

Naruko gagged when she saw the closest one, which contained what had once been a man in his mid twenties. He was now a cadaver of a man, shrunken, wasted and weak. The cause was several roots burrowing into his back, draining his blood and other bodily fluids.

'_Damn sick Yanagi bastards!_' Naruko cursed mentally. She stood up, suddenly furious. The man was wearing what looked like basic villager clothes. He was a civilian, someone who had no chance at defeating a trained ninja or kunoichi without a ridiculous amount of luck on his part.

'_He was defenceless! How could the Yanagi do this to people?!_' she raged within her own mind. The Kyuubi hunched back within the seal, sensing a level of anger from his current jailor that was rapidly approaching a level similar to her immediate predecessor when she got _really_ furious.

Naruko was surprisingly patient with the behaviour of people, particularly Shinobi, having learned when she was younger that kicking up a fuss about such things as killing on a mission, sleeping with a target and using poison usually earned her a stern talking to from her Ji-chan. Shinobi had to do some morally questionable things in order to complete missions. That much, Naruko acknowledged and accepted.

But this? This was beyond the pale.

Absolutely unconscionable.

She. Would. _Not_. Allow. This. To. Continue!

Channelling chakra subconsciously into her hair in her rage, Naruko didn't notice when her hair-tie exploded into shreds by the sheer volume and density of the chakra. Her hair waved and rippled, filled with chakra as the hair separated into nine strands and arced over her head like tails.

'**Oh crap.'** Kyuubi thought with a frown, **'She's almost at the point where THAT will break. Then she'll have access to those thrice-accursed Chakra Chains. Dammit!'**

The enraged Jinchuruki stepped into the chamber and created an army of Shadow Clones to examine all of the containers to see if any of their occupants were salvageable, in which case she would remove them before killing the damned tree.

A rumbling sound came from the centre of the room, prompting Naruko to transform the En'ō Kago-te into its _**Kongōgatana**_ form and hold it in a guard position as she searched for the source of the rumbling. When she found it, her eyes widened in shock.

The entire centre of the chamber floor, at least ten meters across, was rising out of the floor! Naruko gaped as whatever it was that was emerging continued to rise until it stopped just short of the ceiling of the chamber, which had to be a good two- or three-hundred feet high!

What was beneath the floor was…hideous. In form, it resembled an enormous tree sat atop a giant hill of earth. That is where the resemblance to a tree ended. It was a bloated, diseased looking tree with no leaves in its branches and was glowing a malevolent crimson-red colour, which was the source of the red light in the chamber via the roots.

The hill was even more vile and disgusting, if such a thing was possible. It was covered in the decaying corpses of those the tree had drained to death. The odour of rotting flesh that was billowing from the corpse pile was making it really hard for Naruko not to vomit.

The tree shook, shuddered and trembled. A pair of poison-green eyes snapped open on the trunk along with a mouth, which then began to speak in a voice filled with hatred and evil intent.

"**I am the Hason Shinboku, the true Lord of the Morimura area and soon to be ruler of the entire world."** the Akuryō no Moriki boomed in a voice that carried to the entirety of the chamber, **"Who dares intrude into my sanctum?"**

Naruko could only gape in astonishment. The Kyuubi had implied that the tree was sentient, but she hadn't thought it possible! Yet here it was, the demon tree was actually talking to her.

"…Why can't things _ever_ be simple whenever I'm involved?" Naruko sighed as she started forwards.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With the Rest of Team 8...**

Just as she opened her mouth to hurl more abuse at the traitors and interlopers who dared to infiltrate her castle and capture her in a feeble genjutsu, Sae jolted as if she had been electrocuted.

"Who dares enter the Sanctuary?!" she wailed, "Who dares _defile_ it with their unclean presence?!"

Kurenai raised an eyebrow and turned to Saeko for an explanation.

"The chamber where the main body of the Akuryō no Moriki resides is officially called the Sovereign's Sanctuary." Saeko explained, "Only Sae-nee-sama calls it that though. Everyone else calls it the Gallows Chamber."

"Okay." Anko said with a shake of her head, "But how would Sae know if someone has 'defiled' the chamber?"

"She was the first to bond with the tree." Saeko replied, "Unlike any of the Inaba Clan or even the few remaining Yanagi, her link is unique. I have not had the opportunity to study it in any detail, but it is several orders stronger than any of the others. It is possible that the tree embedded an alarm feature within Sae-nee-sama's link for if the chamber was infiltrated."

"Wait, wait, wait." Anko interrupted, "Are you telling me the damned demon tree is _sentient_? Actually _self-aware_?"

"It is." Saeko confirmed, "As I said when I discovered that Sae-nee-sama p-poisoned Chichi-ue, the tree has been warping her mind ever since she bonded with it. It had slight sentience at that point. With every sacrifice that was offered to it over the last ten years, it has become more and more intelligent. When the four chunin that were sacrificed to it were fully drained, it gained full self-awareness."

"Let me go!" Sae shrieked, redoubling her efforts to break free of Kurenai's genjutsu, "I have to slay the blasphemer who dares to tread onto the sacred ground of the Yanagi Clan!"

Gozaburo shook his head slowly. "You are now no more than a puppet to the will of the demon tree, my daughter." he said softly, "Perhaps I should have slain you when I discovered that you were poisoning me."

"I am leading the Yanagi Clan to glory, you senile old fool!" Sae snarled, "Unlike you, who was simply content to maintain the status quo, I _broke_ all the other clans! I ground them into dust! The rest of the world will soon follow suit!"

"Foolish girl." Anko snorted, "You are a frog in the well who knows nothing of the wider world. The whole 'spread-the-demon-tree-to-the-entirety-of-the-continent' plan that you have will merely cause a lot of death and the extinction of your clan."

"Enough, both of you!" Kurenai sighed as she massaged her temples in an attempt to relieve her headache, "Anko, I can't hold this genjutsu for very much longer. Can you do something please?"

"Alright, Nai-chan." Anko pouted before she turned her attention to Sae and stared her in the eyes for a moment. Sae abruptly stopped struggling.

"What the heck did Anko-sensei do?" Ino asked appreciatively.

"_**Ninpo: Kanashibari no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Paralysis Jutsu)**_." Kurenai replied as she cancelled her genjutsu, "It paralyses the target person for a while. Anko is very skilled at using it, so Sae is stuck there for at least five minutes."

"Ano…Kurenai-sensei…s-she's moving!" Hinata exclaimed pointing at the Clan Head of the Yanagi, who was trembling and shaking as she brought up her nagamaki.

"RRRRRAAAAAAGGGHHHH!" Sae shrieked as she broke Anko's ninjutsu through sheer force of will. Quick as a flash, she threw something onto the ground that erupted into a large cloud of smoke that engulfed the Konoha Shinobi and their allies.

"Dammit, a smoke bomb!" Anko snarled, "Nata! Get rid of the smoke!"

"_**Futon: Reppūshō!**_" Hinata obeyed Anko's command and dispersed the smoke, revealing no sign of Sae in the corridor

"She must be headed for the Gallows Chamber." Saeko said, "I doubt that Ane-ue is thinking of anything but removing the one who is defiling the chamber."

"Let's go then." Kurenai said firmly, "Naruko will be taken off guard if Sae has the common sense to launch a surprise attack while Naruko is fighting the Akuryō no Moriki. There is also the chance Naruko could kill her. Saeko-san, lead the way."

"Right." Saeko nodded and ran down the corridor, followed by the rest of the group as they raced to catch up to the insane leader of the Yanagi Clan.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko…**

"You wanna know who is intruding? That would be me, you oversized mutant shrub!" Naruko shouted as she stood in front of the demon tree defiantly.

The poison-green eyes focussed on her with a glare. **"Interesting. Your chakra is exceptionally dense, human filth. You will be perfect as food for me."**

"Like you'll get the chance." Naruko scoffed as she brought her sword up in preparation to strike, "Thanks to you, many people have suffered. I will put an end to you, here and now!"

"**I am a higher order of being, trash."** the Akuryō no Moriki said to her condescendingly, **"I have existed since shortly after the time of the Rikudō Sennin and the birth of the Shinobi World. The one who created me knew all of my weaknesses and **_**he**_** could not destroy me. What makes you think that **_**you**_** stand any better a chance than he did?"**

"I am a _descendant_ of the Rikudō Sennin, you damn overgrown weed!" Naruko snarled, "And if you haven't been paying attention, I have been taking out most of your human thralls. You will cease to exist on this day, Akuryō no Moriki!"

"**You are unworthy to even stand before me as you are, let alone do battle with me, worm."** The tree replied, **"A suitable thrall to deal with you will be here shortly. In the meantime, face the remains of those who have fed me up until now! **_**Shitai Shoji**_**!"**

At the command of the tree, the corpses surrounding the tree shuddered and stood, animated by the roots that were still embedded in their backs, and became to shamble in Naruko's direction.

"Seriously? This _again_?" Naruko asked with an eye roll, "Man, you need some new material."

With that, she charged the mass of zombies with an eager smile on her face.

She was becoming far too much like Anko.

The red-clad kunoichi leapt over a zombie and lashed out with her sword, severing the roots that gave the cadaver life, dropping it to the ground like a marionette with cut strings.

When she landed, Naruko dodged a clumsy swipe at her head by another zombie and responded by cutting off the meat puppet's head. Oddly enough, roots didn't emerge from the neck in order to reattach the head. Odd.

'_Then again, it doesn't actually _need_ the head._' Naruko speculated as she leapt over another attacking corpse puppet, '_The one directing these…_things_…is the demon tree, so the corpse's head is entirely superfluous._'

"**You are quite agile."** the Akuryō no Moriki commented idly as Naruko devastated its corpse army, **"The sword you wield is unusual as well. Once your body is broken, I shall take my time in extracting all you know of the blade from you before I drain you dry."**

"Like I said before, the one who will be gone today is you!" Naruko snarled. She swiftly dispatched the last of the corpse soldiers and was about to charge at the demon tree itself when a sudden rush of memories stopped her cold. Her two Shadow Clone guards had just been killed.

'_That madwoman Sae somehow got away from An-chan._' She thought in surprise, '_Looks like the 'suitable thrall' who the demon tree summoned is Yanagi Sae. Perfect._'

In truth, Naruko had wanted to kill the bitch ever since she had been told of Sae's role in the brutal subjugation of her own people, the ones who she was supposed to lead and protect.

Naruko _hated_ bullies. Those who trod upon those weaker than themselves, abusing their own power, authority and strength for no better reason than to make themselves feel superior to those they deemed beneath themselves…those were people that she hated with a passion.

Every instinct she had was screaming at her to strike down the Akuryō no Moriki before Sae arrived in the chamber. She had only a couple of minutes before the five-minute safely margin expired and the demon tree's foul chakra began to poison her body. It was the obvious decision to make.

And yet…

And yet, Naruko's emotions, her sense of justice, were rebelling at the thought of leaving the woman alive any longer than was necessary. Sae deserved death. She deserved to know that, as she died and the light faded from her eyes, her petty dreams and plans were crumbling around her and that she was utterly helpless to do anything about it.

OK, so she was more than a little sadistic now. So what?

Her mind made up, the Uzumaki Heiress planted her feet and awaited her opponent.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Sae…**

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!…" Sae muttered feverishly as she charged down the tunnel to the Chamber, her thoughts revolving entirely around killing the intruder.

Such straight-lined thinking was so common for the Head of the Yanagi Clan that she didn't even question the seductive voice that drove her on. She was entirely under the sway of the Akuryō no Moriki, just as she had been for the past decade.

The tree had encroached on her mind gradually, but determinedly. By the time she had began to suspect that something might be wrong, the tree had entrenched itself firmly in her mind and had conditioned her so she didn't care as long as her plans were fulfilled.

She burst into the chamber with an incoherent shriek of rage, and immediately destroyed a pair of Naruko clones with a single swipe of Suiyō.

Sae's eyes spotted the one who must be the original defiler, standing at the foot of a small hill of corpses that the Akuryō no Moriki must have animated to defend itself. She was glaring at Sae with intense dislike, which infuriated the Clan Head. Who did this little peasant think she _was_, daring to pass judgement on her like she was superior to Yanagi Sae?

"So, as expected, you're the one the damn tree summoned to fight instead of itself." the defiler said disdainfully, shaking her head in disgust.

"Watch your tongue, peon!" Sae snarled, "You will die by my hand in the most excruciatingly _painful_ manner that I can devise for daring to desecrate this holy place with your impure presence!"

"Are you even listening to yourself?" the blond kunoichi asked incredulously, "You torture and murder people here! If there is anything _less_ holy than this place, I am having a _very_ hard time imagining it!"

"They should have felt honoured to have a place as stepping stones on my path to conquest." Sae sneered, "I don't _care_ how much blood must be shed! As long as I fulfil my ambitions, I will spill a _sea_ of innocent blood! Nothing and no-one can stop me!"

"I would rethink that statement if I were you." Uzumaki Naruko said calmly as she drew back her black-bladed katana and charged towards Sae almost faster than the Yanagi could follow.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Team 8.…**

**Outside the Gallows Chamber**

The sound of clashing blades resounded from out of the entrance to the tunnel, making Anko curse.

"Damn, they've started!" The Snake mistress said angrily.

"How did she damage the doors so badly?" Ino asked incredulously, eying the shattered fragments of the enormous doors. They looked as if a giant had ripped them to pieces.

"_**Ryūketsu Suiyō **__**Ryū: Zanshu-sai (Bloody Weeping Willow Style: Beheading Festival)**_" Gozaburo said with a frown, "One of the three final attacks of the style unique to the Clan Head of the Yanagi. I am unsurprised that she mastered it."

"Less talking, more running." Kurenai snapped.

The group focussed on running for a moment until Anko turned to Gozaburo and said, "Sae used an oddly named move on me when we fought. I think she called it the _**Kushizashi no Yōsai**_, I think."

"The first of the three final attacks." Gozaburo said, "Each represents an aspect of a successful warrior. The _**Kushizashi no Yōsai**_ represents speed. The _**Zanshu-sai**_ represents strength, and the final attack, _**Sanrensei Ken'nomai (Three Consecutive Stars Sword Dance)**_ represents both strength and speed together as one unified attack."

"Scary." Anko commentated just as they entered the chamber proper, in time to see Naruko and Sae exchanging a furious clash of cuts, slices and stabs. Even in the short time that the two had been fighting, both of the combatants were covered in numerous shallow cuts.

Naruko's cuts however were rapidly healing up without any scarring even as the onlookers watched.

"Sae's gonna lose this." Anko said with a smirk.

"What do you mean?" Saeko asked.

"Naruko has an _extremely_ high healing factor." Kurenai replied as she drew a kunai, "Only a serious wound would slow her down, and it looks like the seal Saeko-san here put on Sae is disabling her abilities enough that Naruko can hold her own well enough to the point that that particular scenario is unlikely. In any event, we have to stop Naruko from killing her."

"OI! NARU-CHAN! KNOCK THE BITCH FOR SIX, BUT DON'T KILL HER!" Anko bellowed, making the rest of her group flinch at the volume the Snake Mistress used.

"Awwww! Anko-sensei, do I have to?" Naruko whined even as she parried a blow from Sae that would have removed her head had it connected.

"Yes, you do!" Anko told her flatly, "Now stop dancing with the woman and kick her ass already!"

"_Fine!_" Naruko actually pouted as she replied, before her eyes narrowed and focussed exclusively on Yanagi Sae. The clash of blades increased in both tempo and ferocity.

"Wow. Naruko-chan is really going all out on her, isn't she?" Ino commented.

"I-I agree, Ino-chan." Hinata said softly.

While the rest of Team 8 watched their friend and student, the two Yanagi watched their sister and daughter fight.

"She really is quite good, even with the demerits that you embedded into the seal, Saeko-chan." Gozaburo commented.

"I think I underestimated her, Chichi-ue." Saeko replied, "I knew she was strong and possessed good hand/eye coordination, but the fact she is fighting so well is proof that she wasn't going all out at all whenever I saw her fight. I slipped up."

"Live and learn, my girl." Gozaburo advised her, "Live and learn."

Sae, meanwhile, was furious. She could understand being matched by the slut with purple hair, albeit reluctantly, because the woman was definitely at Jonin level at least, but this…whelp? This bite size bitch? How the hell was this even possible?

"You're slowing down, teme." Naruko told her, "What's the matter? Not used to your opponent actually fighting back?"

"DIE!" Sae shrieked as she assumed a position familiar to Anko, Gozaburo and Saeko, making their eyes widen in shock.

"_**Ryūketsu Suiyō **__**Ryū: Kushizashi no Yōsai!**_" the Head of the Yanagi Clan ground out angrily. Then she leapt forwards, the nagamaki and her arms all but vanishing as she launched her attack.

Naruko's eyes widened and she tried to dodge the attack, but was too slow. Several strikes sank into her body at such swift speeds that it looked like they had struck simultaneously…

…then she vanished in a puff of chakra smoke, much to Sae's surprise.

"A clone?! How? When did she replace herself?" Sae shrieked.

"Just a second or two after you launched your attack." Naruko said from behind her, making Sae spin around in shock.

"How?! You didn't weave any handsigns!" Sae exclaimed.

Naruko snorted. "I mastered the _**Kawarimi no Jutsu**_ to the point I don't need to use handsigns in order to use it, _duh_."

"A mere brat like you couldn't _possibly_-" Sae started to say, before Naruko attacked her again. After a few moments of combat, Sae disengaged and altered her stance again, flipping Suiyō horizontally so the blade faced the right and taking up a low guard position.

"That stance…she's going to use the _**Zanshu-sai**_!" Gozaburo exclaimed.

"_**Ryūketsu Suiyō **__**Ryū: Zanshu-sai!**_" Sae shrieked as she charged forwards. Just before she came within range of Naruko's sword, she blurred and vanished.

"Above you!" The former Clan Head shouted in warning.

Naruko reacted on instinct and leapt backwards, just in time to dodge a speeding blur that smashed into the ground, creating a large crack several feet long and throwing up a large dust cloud

"What the hell?!" Anko exclaimed in shock as Sae shot out of the dust cloud at Naruko, nagamaki drawn back for a strike.

"Behind you!" Gozaburo roared, "The Sae before you is just a _**Bunshin**_!"

Naruko responded to his words by immediately hitting the deck, barely in time to avoid the real Sae slashing at where her neck had been only moments earlier.

"That is the _**Zanshu-sai**_." Gozaburo explained to the rest as Naruko slammed a kick into Sae's side before leaping away, "A deceptive attack indeed, broadcasting a frontal Kesa-giri before leaping into the air to deliver a Men-giri. Should that fail, the use of the basic _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_ to draw the target's attention to the front, allowing the user to sneak behind them and deal a decapitation cut."

"A trick, in other words." Anko said with narrowed eyes, "Well, it won't work on Naru-chan now she's seen it used against her."

"How can you be so certain?" Saeko asked.

"I trained her, that's why." Anko replied, "She works hard and has a very good battle sense. It is possible for that _**Zanshu-sai **_attack to work on her again, but Sae will have to actually be cunning, subtle and sneaky, none of which she can do in a fight from what I've seen so far, unlike Naruko."

"Aside from the sealless _**Kawarimi**_, I'm afraid I don't see what you mean." Gozaburo confessed.

"Well, just keep watching." Anko replied with a smirk.

Ino looked at the Snake Mistress, perplexed. "Ummm…why aren't we helping Naruko take down Sae?" she asked.

"Because we want to capture her alive. More nins in the fight ups the chance of Sae accidentally getting killed." Anko replied, "I don't like it, neither does Naru-chan, but that's what the mission demands, so we'll do it."

After a moment, she turned to Saeko and asked, "Hey, what would happen to you and Sae if the demon tree died?"

"I…I couldn't begin to guess." Saeko said hesitantly, "I never dreamed that it could be a possibility."

"Try." Anko's voice was stern.

"Well…there are two possible outcomes." Saeko said thoughtfully, "The first is that the backlash of the Akuryō no Moriki's chakra would surge down the link and overload our bodies, killing us from chakra poisoning.

The other possibility is that the demon tree will cling to us via the seals and cause severe damage to our chakra networks, robbing us of the ability to use any chakra ever again, before it finally goes into the void."

"So you either die or be hurt badly enough that you'll wish you had died." Anko summed up the two possibilities succinctly, "That sucks."

"Quite." Saeko said dryly as she returned her gaze to the fight between her sister and the blond haired genin, who was busy taunting Sae.

"Y'know, I'd expect you to be rusty, what with you not having actually fought worth a damn in years." Naruko said conversationally as she slashed at the Yanagi Clan Head, "But _man_, are you out of shape or what? I mean, you're fighting a rookie genin, even breaking out your special attacks, and you are _struggling_ to keep up with me! How lame is that?"

"You worthless _insect_!" Sae shrieked. In her fury and outrage, her attacks became sloppier, making it far easier for Naruko to dodge and deflect them.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Naruko snarked, "You've relied so much on the Inaba Clan to do your fighting for you that you haven't kept up your own training. You've become slow-" {Clang!} "-hesitant-" {Clang!} "And _weak_!"

{Clang!}

As Naruko spoke, she unleashed three strong blows to accompany her words. When the third and final blow struck, the Nagamaki Honour Blade Suiyō was shattered into pieces.

"No…Suiyō was…broken…?" Sae said in disbelief, the now useless hilt dropping from her nerveless fingers and clattering to the floor.

"Still wanna fight?" Naruko challenged her brazenly. Sae stepped backwards a pace, a look of fear flashing across her face, making Naruko grin.

"Ah, I see. Without a weapon, you have no way of attacking me." The Uzumaki Heiress stated, knowing she was right, "You've trained extensively and exclusively with a nagamaki, even to the point of neglecting your other skills. With a nagamaki, you are a threat. Without it?…"

Naruko suddenly leapt forward and slammed the pommel of her sword on the side of Sae's head, dropping her like a ton of bricks, unconscious.

"Without it, you can't do a damn thing." Naruko finished before she turned to face the towering Akuryō no Moriki.

"**Humph. Pathetic."** sneered the tree, startling everyone except Naruko, **"I shall have to replace my chief thrall with someone less incompetent after I slay you, scum."**

"Enough with the dramatic exposition already." Naruko said as she brought her _**Kongōgatana**_ up and pointed it at the tree, "I told you before, you will cease to exist after today. I won't let you abuse the chakra of my ancestor any longer!"

"**And as I told YOU before, I am a higher order of being."** countered the tree, **"I cannot be harmed by your pathetic human jutsu, nor can any weapons pierce my mighty bark. I hold all the cards here, while you clutch at straws."**

"Is that so?" Naruko said softly, "You won't mind if I try my luck at cutting you into lumber then!"

Naruko charged towards the Akuryō no Moriki with her sword drawn back to strike.

"**Sheer arrogance!"** Boomed the demon tree, **"**_**Meikai Ne Kushizashi!**_**"**

The hill that the tree stood upon erupted in a shower of black earth and unleashed a forest of roots at Naruko, who responded by creating an army of Shadow Clones to help her.

"Fall back!" Kurenai shouted, "We're just in the way here! Anko, grab Sae!"

"Man, this little bitch is a pain in the ass." Anko complained good-naturedly as she ran forward, grabbed Sae's unconscious body and used a _**Shunshin**_ to speed back to the others to avoid the incoming roots.

Hinata and Ino glared at Sae angrily as they retreated into the tunnel. It was clear that the two genin wanted to hurt the person ultimately responsible for both Naruko's serious injuries the previous day and the murder of who knows how many people over the last decade.

"Stand down you two." Anko said firmly, "If anything, the villagers of Morimura, her family and maybe Naruko have the right to judge her. In the meantime, let's get out of the castle."

"Why?" Saeko asked, "We have to carry out my plan so your student has a chance!"

"Nah, Naru-chan will kill the damn tree. _Without_ you doing the whole noble-but-pointless sacrifice thing." Anko replied, "Then the tree will either kill you or come damn close to it. No biggie. Also, your castle is full of those roots. When Naru-chan uses her jutsu, all that will catch fire faster than I can seduce a virgin."

Saeko stared at the Snake Mistress for a moment before turning to Kurenai and asked the raven-haired jonin, "Is everyone in Konoha as…ah, _idiosyncratic _as your friend here, or is she truly unique?"

"You don't wanna know." Kurenai replied wryly, "Trust me on this; you do _not_ want to know."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko…**

The Uzumaki Heiress had a problem. This problem was actually quite a large one at that. It was of immediate concern to her and she was having considerable trouble dealing with it.

The problem was, to be blunt, the thousand or so root spears that were lancing at her with the intent of turning her into a holy object, pun intended.

'_OK, maybe charging it head-on _wasn't_ such a good idea._' Naruko conceded. She and her Shadow Clones were dodging left, right and centre, but were still inexorably targeted by the roots.

Bluntly, she was not having a good time of it.

"Fine then." Naruko muttered as she dodged yet another root trying to turn her into a shish kebab, "Ladies! Ninjutsu Tactic Number 2, if you please!"

"Yes ma'am!" Chorused her clones. All of them began running through various hand signs, along with the original Naruko.

"_**Doton: Doryū Taiga no Jutsu!**_" Naruko said as she formed the Tiger handsign. The ground beneath her erupted into a river of mud. Naruko grinned. Actually _creating_ mud with her chakra, rather than merely manipulating already existing earth and water, was chakra intensive but very useful in situations like this. Using this jutsu on herself was also unusual, but, as she sped along towards the demon tree, pushed by the mud river she had created, she knew it was a very useful tactic.

As the roots homed in on her, a double-line of Naruko-clones formed on either side of her.

"_**Katon: Endan no Jutsu!**_" The front ranks said as they unleashed fireballs at the roots.

"_**Futon: Reppūshō!**_" The second ranks said as they clapped their hands, sending a gale of wind at the fire, increasing the size of the fireballs by a considerable amount.

Naruko grinned. Uzumaki Ninjutsu Tactics Number 2, Slide and Blast: The original Naruko uses _**Doryū Taiga **_to get close to the target, while her clones use powerful ninjutsu combinations to keep her opponents (or roots in this case) away from her. It was one of the dozen or so tactics she had thought up while she had been knocked unconscious by Kogorō the second time and it was working better than she had hoped.

Suddenly, the demon tree fired out even _more_ roots, all aimed squarely at Naruko, who was forced to jump off of her impromptu transportation method in order to avoid the roots.

"Damn!" Naruko cursed, "Time to improvise!"

She landed atop the roots she had just dodged and started running down them, batting away the odd root that came at her from the front or sides with the flat of her blade. She came close to the end of the vines, took one look at the churning, shaking and writhing soil and decided that under no circumstances was she setting foot on that ground. There was no telling what that diseased soil would do to her.

Instead, she leapt into the air, straight towards the Akuryō no Moriki.

"**You shall not touch me, human trash!"** the demon tree shrieked, **"**_**Meikai Kinone Shibari!**_**"**

Roots shot up directly beneath Naruko and attempted to ensnare her, but she seallessly created two Shadow Clones to block them. Unlike the roots controlled by the _**Meikai Ne Kushizashi**_, _these_ roots were intended for capture, so they followed their instructions and ensnared the clones, tricked into believing that they were the original, who used the two as a platform and leaped forward once again.

The demon tree's caricature of a face contorted in rage as Naruko came within striking distance. No, not only rage…_incredulity_. Sheer disbelief that a mere _human_, a being the tree found contemptible and beneath its notice, was actually daring to attack it.

"Eat this!" Naruko snarled as she drew back the _**Kongōgatana**_ and executed a textbook one-handed thrust at the main trunk of the Akuryō no Moriki.

The blade pierced the bark and cut the tree's wooden body just as easily as it had cut the roots, eliciting a scream of agony from the demon tree. From the cut, a black liquid oozed and seeped out and down the bark. Naruko wrinkled her nose at the smell that was coming off of it, like rust, salt and iron mixed together.

'_Blood…concentrated blood, from all the people the damn tree has drained dry over the years._' Naruko thought in disgust. She anchored herself to the tree with chakra, twisted the black-bladed katana in the tree, and dragged it across the breadth of the Akuryō no Moriki, making it shriek even louder in pain.

'_Can a tree even feel pain?_' She wondered idly before getting serious, '_Kyuubi, can you give me some chakra now?_'

'**Fine, brat.'** Kyuubi replied, **'The tree will not give up without a fight, so don't let your guard down.'**

'_Right._' Naruko replied, and then shuddered as the feeling of the Kyuubi's chakra running through her hit her like a punch. She shook her head to clear it, then drew her free hand back and concentrated the Kyuubi's chakra into it, forming the _**Yōko no Koromo**_ around it. A detached part of her mind noted that the aura of chakra extended longer than it had last time, stretching from an inch away from the tips of her fingers to just shy of her shoulder joint.

"**What is this chakra?!"** the demon tree demanded.

"_**Yōko no Koromo: Chakra Chūsha! (Demon Fox Cloak: Chakra Injection!)**_" Naruko snarled as she slammed her hand into the large gash she had cut in the demon tree, eliciting yet another pained shriek from the demon tree.

"Damn, you're a noisy one." Naruko snorted as she withdrew her hand and leapt away from the tree, landing on the concrete rather than the tree roots.

"**You…you…"** The Akuryō no Moriki seemed to be at a loss for words amidst its agony, **"You insect! You dare lay hands on my divine form? You dare to wound me?!"**

"_Divine_?" Naruko asked with a raised eyebrow, "More like a few steps short of a divan than anything else."

"**This will be something you will regret!"** the demon tree growled at her, **"Once I heal myself-"**

"Not happening, Mr. soon-to be-kindling." Naruko said with a smirk, "The jutsu that I used on you is fatal to anything with a chakra network of any kind. You absorb and manipulate chakra and Natural Energy, thus you have a chakra network, and therefore you are dead."

"**Impossible!"** shouted the tree, **"I am the Hason Shinboku, the feared Akuryō no Moriki! I am immortal!"**

"Oh, you may actually survive this." Naruko said with a frown, "Despite the fact that you have a chakra network, it _is_ an artificially created chakra network, so I have no idea if most of it can withstand the chakra I injected into you.

On the other hand, it _did_ work on that bastard Inaba Kogorō when he used that giant version of the _**Jaaku Moriki no Jutsu**_, so it might just work just as well on you as it did on him. Just to make sure though…"

Naruko began to run through handsigns until her hands stopped on the Fox Handsign.

"_**Yōko Katon: Koenryū no Jutsu!**_" Naruko declared before unleashing the compressed ball of pale blue fire. It was actually slightly easier to use than it had only, what, half an hour ago? Naruko resolved to ask the Kyuubi about that later.

The full draconic form of the _**Koenryū**_ reared up and roared at the demon tree before lowering its head and charging forwards, its long fiery body writhing and thrashing wildly as it approached the demon tree.

"**Pah! Were you not listening before?"** sneered the Akuryō no Moriki, **"Mere human ninjutsu cannot harm me!"**

The _**Koenryū**_ slammed into the demon tree with a massive crumpling sound which Naruko was certain was the sound of part of the Akuryō no Moriki's trunk being destroyed.

"And maybe _you_ weren't paying attention when I killed Inaba Kogorō earlier." Naruko said coldly as the Akuryō no Moriki became engulfed by the blue flames of her jutsu, "This jutsu was _created_ to be used on chakra constructs like you. The flames eat chakra and Natural Energy, fuelling itself with all it consumes. With as much chakra and Natural Energy as you possess, I imagine that the flames will burn for a considerable length of time before they finally extinguish."

"**No…NOOOO!"** wailed the demon tree, the trunk actually twisting and writhing in an effort to shake off the flames that were consuming it, **"I am a God! You cannot kill a divine being like this! I will not stand for it!"**

"You don't have a choice." Naruko told it coldly. She tilted her head to one side when she received memories from one of her Shadow Clones informing her that out of the four hundred capsules in the chamber, only _twenty_ could have the person within removed with any hope of possible recovery. The roots connecting them to the demon tree had retracted from them, which Naruko personally believed to be an instinctive flinch from her shoving the far more toxic chakra of the Kyuubi into the toxic chakra of the demon tree.

She created another Shadow Clone and popped it, distributing her orders to all of her shadow Clones simultaneously: remove all salvageable people from their containers and beat feet out of here. She returned her gaze to the wailing demon tree as the sound of shattering glass began to echo throughout the chamber.

"You were a mistake, demon tree." Naruko told it softly, "A mistake that should never have existed. Your creator tried to rectify his mistake, but was unable to do anything, so he sealed you up down here, hoping that you would wither and fade to nothing."

"**RRRRAAAGGHH! I…Will…Not…Fade!"** the demon tree bellowed.

"Yet you didn't fade or wither." Naruko continued, ignoring the shrieks of the tree, "Instead, you waited, biding your time for someone to breach the seals and come down here. Eventually, Sae fell through the ceiling and almost died from the height, if I'm one to judge. You reanimated her and subtly indoctrinated her until she became little more than your puppet, dancing to your orders."

"**She…is…just…human!"** rasped the tree, **"Obeying…a god…is…all…you…are…good for!"**

"You caused the death of hundreds of innocents, men women and children." The Uzumaki Heiress stated, heat dripping into her voice to replace the icy cold that had previously occupied it, "While I despise you for causing that and you richly deserve oblivion as punishment for those reasons, that isn't why I am killing you now."

She paused before continuing, "I am killing you now because you used your Yanagi puppets to try to kill my _friends_ and my _lover_. That is a trespass that I will _not_ allow to go unanswered or unpunished. You went where _angels_ fear to tread, Akuryō no Moriki. Enjoying the results, I hope?"

"**I…am…**_**immortal**_**…you…scum!"** snarled the Akuryō no Moriki, **"And…as…painful and…debilitating…as …this…fire is…it cannot…kill…me!"**

"I'm going to have to disagree with you but, by all means, delude yourself as much as you want." Naruko said with a small grin, "While individually, the _**Koenryū**_ _might_ not kill you and the _**Chakra Chūsha **__might_ not kill you, combined they are a time bomb, ready to go off once the right conditions are fulfilled. It's only a matter of time before you cease to be a problem."

"**I will not cease to exist!"** screamed the Akuryō no Moriki, **"I will fulfil my purpose!"**

"Your purpose? And just what might that be?" Naruko asked sceptically.

"**To bring peace to the world!"** the demon tree proclaimed, **"The impulse thrums in every fibre of my being! I realised as soon as I gained awareness that as long as humankind infests the world, there can be no peace!"**

"So you try and _wipe us out?_" Naruko finished with an incredulous shake of her head, "Hate to tell you this, but you're just following the impulse of the fragment of chakra within you that used to belong to the Rikudō Sennin, the Saviour of the World and my distant ancestor. And he would be disgusted with what you have done."

"**I will fulfil my purpose!"** the demon tree shrieked at her, **"And you shall die! Die, die, die, die, die, die, die!"**

"Why is it that everyone I fight ends up breaking down like a psycho?" Naruko asked as she rolled her eyes.

"_**Tajū Ne Bunshin! (Multiple Root Clones!)**_**"** commanded the Akuryō no Moriki.

The ground erupted as roots emerged, forming themselves into multiple copies of the towering _**Jaaku Moriki**_. The roots then separated from the tree and withdrew into the constructs. Blue flames shot out of the ground where the roots had come from and licked hungrily at the air.

"Great, _**Jaaku Moriki **_times twelve." Naruko said with a glare at the tree, "You could have chosen to vanish into the void with a little bit of dignity, but _nooooo_, you just _had_ to resist. Well, time to do a bit of gardening."

"**Kill her!"** howled the demon tree. The Root Clones roared in response and began to stomp towards Naruko, who grinned as she counter-charged them.

The closest one drew back an arm and threw a punch at her. Naruko leapt above it and lashed out with the Adamantine Katana, cutting two-thirds of the way through the limb, leaving it to dangle uselessly.

Naruko raised an eyebrow at this before remembering that she was still channelling the Kyuubi's chakra, so her strength was being boosted far beyond even her regular chakra-fuelled strength.

Landing on the monster's head, Naruko cut off its head and then sank the _**Kongōgatana**_ deep into the flailing body, blade facing the back, and jumped to the ground, dragging the blade down with her, neatly bisecting the Root Clone along where the spine would be.

As the two halves of the Root clone fell to the ground, Naruko channelled wind chakra into her weapon, lengthening the blade and making it inhumanly sharp, before dodging to the side to avoid two root limbs slamming into the spot she had previously occupied.

While Naruko was engaged in an alternative form of gardening, the Akuryō no Moriki was struggling to extinguish the blue flames that were slowly consuming it, as well as trying to expel the strange chakra that had been injected into it, with no success whatsoever.

'**How can this be?!'** the ancient tree shrieked to itself, **'This strange fire is devouring my chakra and becoming stronger! I can't stop it! And whatever the hell that evil chakra is that the human scum injected into me is even more foul than my own! It's corrupting my chakra and corroding my very being!'**

Naruko was frowning as she dodged and cut at the Root Clones that were attacking her. This was getting her nowhere. The first Root Clone she had sliced to bits was almost finished reforming already and the rest of the cuts she had dealt to the rest were sealing up as well.. Time to finish this off and get out of here.

Concentrating, the Uzumaki Heiress added a flow of fire chakra to her sword, creating the white-hot blade that she knew could permanently sever the roots of the Root Clones, which were far more sturdy than the one Inaba Kogorō had used to defeat her the previous day.

"_**Uzumaki Kenjutsu: Kai: Shin Kaen Ittōryōdan: Renzoku-giri! (Uzumaki Sword Style: Revised: True Blazing Single Stroke Bisection: Consecutive Cuts!)**_" Naruko snarled.

She charged the almost fully restored Clone and cut it down once more, this time unable to regenerate itself, before turning and literally disarming the one next to it before cutting it in half horizontally.

Methodically, Naruko chopped, hacked and sliced her way through the remaining ten Root Clones before allowing her sword to return to its normal black-bladed appearance. The bisected and quartered remains of the Root Clones still writhed on the floor, gradually growing slower as time went on.

Naruko was panting slightly. In the last couple of hours, she had used a considerable amount of her chakra reserves and using the Kyuubi's chakra caused mild exhaustion once it faded. She was still a bit tired from the last time.

"Well, that takes care of that." she huffed in irritation before she turned to the Akuryō no Moriki and said, "Now, kindly die in peace already!"

"**If I must vanish from this world, I shall take as many of you pathetic mewling humans with me as I can!"** bellowed the demon tree, **"**_**Akuryō no Moriki: Shikō Fudō-ō! (Evil Spirit Forest Tree: Supreme Immovable King!)**_**"**

"Oh hell!" Naruko muttered as she backed off nervously. The ground began to shake as the Akuryō no Moriki began to sink back into the ground again.

"Time to get _outta here_!" she muttered. Turning on her heel, Naruko legged it for the door.

Behind her, the insane cackling of the Akuryō no Moriki followed her out of the room as it prepared its final move.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With the others…**

**Courtyard, Mokuzai Kijō**

"Think this is far enough out of the castle?" Anko asked flippantly. The group stood atop the perimeter wall of the castle, warily regarding the badly damaged edifice as if it might suddenly burst into blue flames as they watched.

"That depends." Kurenai said, "How extensive is the system of roots that the demon tree has spread throughout Morimura Forest?"

"The roots reach into every nook and cranny of the forest, barring the Ranchi no Tanima." Saeko replied, "If those blue flames spread to every root, the entire forest will burn."

The group looked over at the still-burning pile of roots that had once been Inaba Kogorō and shuddered slightly.

"Naru-chan didn't really have much choice." Anko defended her absent student, "She doesn't know about your noble and useless sacrifice strategy and would likely reject it out of hand if she knew about it. She went with the option that she had, which seems to have paid off with that bastard over there."

Anko jerked a thumb at the immolated Chief Retainer.

"But…I have to pay for my crimes!" Saeko protested, "Because I was too scared to do anything, hundreds of people were sacrificed!"

"The sentence isn't up to you to decide." Kurenai admonished her, "That is the responsibility of Hokage-sama and the Fire Daimyo."

"Uhhhhn…." Sae moaned. The Head of the Yanagi Clan was literally hogtied at the feet of Team 8, with Ino and Hinata keeping a wary eye on her. To stop the incessant flow of invectives that she spewed out at every available opportunity, she had also been gagged.

"Yes, that means you as well!" Anko snapped at the arrogant woman. For emphasis, the Snake Mistress kicked her in the side, making Sae grunt in pain.

"Enough, Anko." Kurenai sighed, "No abusing the prisoner. If you want to do that, you have to wait until she's back in Konoha and in the T&amp;I building before you start. Understood?"

"Feh. You're such a spoilsport, Nai-chan." Anko pouted.

"Look!" Gozaburo, silent up to that moment, pointed and exclaimed, "Isn't that your genin?"

It was indeed Naruko. She had just climbed out of the hole above the main door and was running towards them with a worried look on her face.

"This…doesn't bode well." Kurenai said mildly. Naruko was normally quite hard to unnerve, so whatever had her looking so concerned was deserving of their full attention.

"Report, Genin Uzumaki." Kurenai ordered crisply as soon as the blond kunoichi leapt up next to them.

"The damn demon tree used a powerful jutsu, though I don't know what it does." Naruko reported.

"What was the Jutsu called?" Saeko asked.

"_**Shikō Fudō-ō**_" Naruko replied, "The last time someone used 'king' in a jutsu, I had to fight a giant Tengu, so I decided to get out of the castle ASAP."

Saeko looked baffled. "I haven't made any jutsu by that name. Are you certain of what the tree called it?"

"Considering it was bellowed so loud my eardrums almost broke, yes." Naruko replied dryly.

Before anything more could be said, the ground began to tremble and groan as if something was attempting to push its way up from underneath the earth.

"Oh hell." Naruko muttered, "I have a _bad_ feeling about where this is heading…"

With an almighty {CRACK!} the castle of the Yanagi Clan split in twain, an enormous crack that appeared to run the length of the grounds appearing in the earth before them. With a tortured groan and crumbling sound, the broken earth was pushed back and an enormous humanoid figure slowly rose up from beneath Mokuzai Kijō.

Standing taller than even the castle, the figure was vaguely reminiscent of Acala the Immovable One, the Fudō-Myō'ō (Immovable Wisdom King), a deity said to be the bane of demons. Smooth skinned, the only break in it was the face. A wrathful, angry expression was upon the figure, who was almost certainly the Akuryō no Moriki. Sheathed in the belt at its waist was an Hōken (Treasure Sword) and a lariat (rope) was casually held in its left hand.

"Bloody bastard _hell_." Naruko said casually, "The demon tree is an even sorer loser than I expected. Great, another fight against a giant root thing. Anko-sensei, Kurenai-sensei, I would advise you lead everyone to cover. This isn't going to be an easy fight."

"Why hasn't it blown up like Kogorō did?" Kurenai asked.

"It hasn't used much in the way of jutsu." Naruko replied shortly, "Add into that the Akuryō no Moriki possesses much, much larger reserves than Kogorō did and it adds up to me running around like a blue-arsed fly in order to make it use up a considerable amount of chakra."

"Try and draw it away from the castle, Naru-chan." Anko suggested, "Draw it any direction but north so we can use the tunnel we entered it from in the first place."

"Gotcha." Naruko nodded, "Look after yourself, An-chan."

With that, Naruko leapt away and created an army of Shadow Clones. Anko felt a glare from her side and looked over to see Kurenai giving her the evil eye.

"We _will_ be talking about just how close you and Naruko have gotten after we get out of this mess, Anko." Kurenai informed her friend icily.

Anko winced.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Naruko…**

Naruko and her clones landed atop the ruins of Mokuzai Kijō and stared up at the being that the Akuryō no Moriki had turned itself into. A third again the size of the original height of Mokuzai Kijō, this giant would have squashed Inaba Kogorō's _**Jaaku-rin **__**Maō**_ form like an adult could crush a child.

"And I'm a dust mite by comparison." Naruko muttered, "I've heard about giant killing, but this is ridiculous."

"**I am a god, human filth, not a mere giant."** boomed the demon tree, **"Show me proper veneration as a divine being such as myself deserves."**

"Good hearing." Naruko commented, "But still delusional. You are no god by _any_ definition of the word, because you are about to vanish from existence, _never_ to harm anyone ever again."

"**Impudent blasphemer!"** the demon tree roared and then tried to stamp Naruko into a pancake.

"WHOA!" Naruko yelped as she leapt to one side to avoid the foot, which smashed through what was left of the side of the ruptured castle Naruko had stood on as if it was made of tissue paper.

"Get him!" Naruko ordered her clones, who leapt to the attack at once. From past experience, Naruko knew that attacking the giant from outside would be about as effective as a two year old attacking a Kage-level ninja, so her clones were climbing up in order to force feed themselves down the giant's mouth, then begin playing merry hell as they assaulted the innards…if it had any innards.

"**Ha! I will not permit your lowly clones to clamber over me like this!"** the Akuryō no Moriki shouted, **"**_**Senpō: **__**Zen'nō Sekiryoku no Jutsu! (Sage Art: Almighty Repulsion Jutsu!)**_**"**

The air around the demon tree/Fudō Myō'ō began to shimmer and ripple like a heat haze, before all the air was abruptly _shoved_ away from the root body, sending all of her clones flying before they were dispelled by the impact.

Naruko herself would have been sent flying, had it not been for the fact that she hastily sank her sword into the nearby wall and affixed herself to the roof with chakra. She was very much windswept and slightly battered by flying detritus though.

'_Well, _that_ didn't go according to plan._' Naruko thought as she gazed up at the demon tree's…avatar? Shell? Whatever.

"**With that Sage Jutsu, I can stop your little clones from assaulting me, foolish human."** the Akuryō no Moriki told her smugly, **"What do you have to say to that?"**

"Oh, just a few words." Naruko drawled, "In fact, five will be more than enough: Using Jutsu Makes You Burn."

"**What the-"** the tree started to say, right before its entire body burst into flames, the pale blue fire reaching high into the sky as it covered the body of the demon tree from toe to crown. The heat coming off of the flames was nigh unbearable, so Naruko leapt back a couple of times until the temperature was more temperate.

"**AAAAGGGGGGHHHHH!"** Judging by the yell of pain the tree let out, the flames of the _**Koenryū**_ were very painful. Although Naruko wondered why the tree felt pain at all. It was a _tree_ for Kami's sake!

"Play with fire and you're gonna get burned, demon tree!" Naruko shouted, "You really _should_ have paid attention to how I defeated Inaba Kogorō's _**Jaaku-rin **__**Maō**_ form. Now you're walking down the selfsame path of destruction. Ironic, eh?"

"**Y-You…!" **Pain and anger seemed to have rendered the Akuryō no Moriki speechless. Evidently deciding to cut to the chase, the tree unsheathed the sword from its belt.

Naruko regarded the blade warily. The handle was shaped like a Vajra, a Buddhist exorcism tool, and the blade wasn't curved like a katana, it was straight like a twin-edged version of a chokutō.

"**DIE!" **the tree screeched as it raised the sword over its head before bringing it down in a wickedly fast slash intending to bisect Naruko where she stood.

The Uzumaki Heiress used a chakra powered leap to avoid the massive weapon, although she was flung even further by the scalding hot displaced air rushing from the sword as it impacted on the ground.

Naruko abruptly slammed into a tree, the breath being driven from her lungs and her entire body filled with pain. She hadn't had any time to reinforce her body with chakra this time, so she knew that she had broken quite a few bones during the impact. She had also lost her hold on the Kyuubi's chakra because of the pain and the red chakra faded, retreating back within the seal.

As she fell to the ground, Naruko's vision seemed to sharpen, everything seeming to move slower. She saw the Akuryō no Moriki's sword start to rise from the ground, saw the horrified faces of Ino and Hinata as they struggled against Anko and Kurenai's restraining hands, Anko's own conflicted face and finally, eight grey-clad figures wearing animal masks as they landed nearby.

Wait, _what?_

Someone caught her before she landed on the ground and Naruko moaned at the pain the hold caused.

"Uzumaki-san? Are you alright?" The one who caught her asked. Naruko peered up and saw a cat mask.

"N-Neko-san…" she whispered, "What kept you?"

"Immigration officials." Neko deadpanned, "Now, _are you alright?_"

"Aside from being thrown into a tree, I'm fine." Naruko replied, "Just a few broken bones, I think. More importantly, _that thing _is the cause of all of this. Get everyone away from it! Weapons and Jutsu can't hurt it!"

"It's on fire." Neko pointed out as she hand-signalled Team 8 to fall back, "That means Jutsu _must_ be able to work on it."

Naruko grinned wryly. "How many High-A/ Low-S Rank Jutsu do you know?"

Beneath her mask, Neko blanched. "It's _that_ resistant to chakra?"

"Only topped by its reliance to weapons." Naruko replied as she hopped out of Neko's arms, "Urgh, thanks for the healing, fox. Anyway, my sword…dammit, I lost it again. Kai!"

En'ō Kago-te reappeared on her arm. Naruko nodded in satisfaction before returning her attention to Neko.

"Thanks for the save, Neko-san." Naruko said.

"No problem." Neko replied, "Now, could you please give me and my teams an update?"

The rest of the ANBU were paying attention, even as they directed Team 8 away from the battlefield.

"That thing-," Naruko gestured at the Akuryō no Moriki, who was trying in vain to put the fire on its body out, "-is a demon tree that has a chakra-sample of the Rikudō Sennin in it. It took control of the Yanagi Clan a decade ago and has been murdering humans ever since. As I said, no weapon can cut the bark and most jutsu are ineffective."

"How is it that it is on fire right now then?" Saru asked.

"That's a demon _tree_. I have a demon _fox_." Naruko replied, "The fox gave me knowledge of a Katon Jutsu that feeds on chakra, one that only I can use. I used it on the tree and it turned into _that_."

"Is the Kyuubi going to break free?" Inu asked, reaching for his blade, "We felt the presence of its chakra being used."

"I'm a Jinchuruki. I'm _supposed_ to be able to use the fox's chakra." Naruko replied with an eye roll, "And no, it isn't gonna break out. Even if it did, it wouldn't attack Konoha. Can we _please_ focus on the demon tree? Y'know, the big burning giant that wants to kill as many humans as possible before the blue flames and toxic chakra kill it?"

"'Toxic chakra'?" Neko asked.

Naruko grinned evilly. "For anyone but me, the Kyuubi's chakra is poisonous and corrosive. I injected some into the tree before it supersized itself. Right now, all we have to do is force it to use jutsu until the Kyuubi's chakra comes into contact with the flames of my _**Koenryū no Jutsu**_. Then it'll explode."

"Will that even work?" asked a sceptical female ANBU wearing a rabbit mask.

"That's what happened the first time." Naruko shrugged, "The Chief Retainer of the Yanagi Clan used a Life Sacrifice Kinjutsu to turn into something half the size of that this and it exploded after the flames and the chakra met, or so I'm told."

"You don't know from first hand experience?" Neko asked sharply.

"I got careless and was knocked out by him a few minutes before he exploded." Naruko admitted in embarrassment, "The rest of my team was watching via camera though, so they can confirm it. Ino-chan and Hinata-chan don't know about the fox though, so be careful."

"Right." Neko said.

"**Curse you, human filth!"** howled the demon tree, startling the ANBU, **"How dare you ignore me!"**

"Oh get _over_ yourself, you oversized blow-up doll!" Naruko shouted back, making several members of the ANBU choke in shock.

"**DIE, you insignificant worm!"** the Akuryō no Moriki shrieked as it drew the sword back, this time for a thrust, only to be interrupted by the arm holding it falling off. The previous use of the arm had weakened it to the point that another attempt at violent usage had been too great for it to withstand.

"**My arm!"** shrieked the tree. The arm smashed into what was left of the castle, setting it on fire on contact with the flaming limb.

"Only a matter of time now, Akuryō no Moriki!" Naruko said with satisfaction.

The giant gave an inarticulate roar of rage before uncoiling the lariat held in its only remaining arm. With a snarl, the demon tree unleashed the long rope in a wide swing, intending to deal serious damage to everything within reach.

The demon tree had not reckoned on the ANBU interfering, however.

"_**Doton: Doryū Jōheki no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Earth-Style Rampart Jutsu!)**_" Usagi commanded as she stepped in front of the group, raising a large section of the ground beneath her for several meters to both her left and right to act as a shield before leaping down to rejoin her comrades.

"_**Doton: Chidōkaku no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Moving Earth Core Jutsu!)**_" Ushi finished, lowering the area that they stood on several meters beneath the earth.

The root-rope smashed into the large rampart, smashing it to bits. Some of the larger fragments fell into the pit, straight towards the ANBU and Naruko.

"_**Doton: **__**Iwa Hinansho no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Rock Shelter Jutsu!)**_" Hitsugi commanded, causing a large dome of soil and rock to rapidly form over them and harden. A series of dull thuds could be heard by the occupants as the rain of broken earth struck their shelter.

"Wow." Naruko said, impressed, "I need to learn more Doton ninjutsu. Those were awesome."

"What Doton do you know?" Neko asked curiously.

"_**Doton: Doryū Taiga**_ and _**Doton: Kansō-chi**_." Naruko replied.

"Good start." Neko remarked before she looked over at Ushi and ordered him to return them to the surface.

Once they reached ground level, they were treated to the sight of the Akuryō no Moriki glaring at them in a state of pure rage. Evidently, it didn't like the fact its attack had been dodged so easily.

"Awww, what's wrong, demon tree?" Naruko said patronisingly, "Upset that we won't dance with you?"

"**Curse you! I **_**will**_** kill you, human trash!"** the Akuryō no Moriki railed at her.

"Get in line." Naruko said flippantly, "Now let's finish this! _**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

In an explosion of chakra smoke, an army of clones at least a thousand strong was created, leaving the ANBU astonished.

"Ladies! Heavy Ninjutsu bombardment at the demon tree, stat!" Naruko ordered, "Support the ANBU as they attack as well!"

"HAI!" her clone army chorused.

"_**En'ō Kago-te: Buki Henge: Kongōgatana!**_" Naruko chanted as she formed the Monkey Handsign, transforming the gauntlet into its black-bladed katana form.

"Uzumaki-san, this is out of your league." Neko told her.

"My sword here is made of Adamantine, the only thing able to cut the bark of the tree." Naruko replied shortly, "Besides, I have experience fighting this foe, you do not."

Neko was forced to admit the truth of that last one at least.

"Very well, but be careful." Neko told her, "Hokage-sama would have my head if something happened to you on my watch."

"Hai, Neko-san." Naruko replied, "A small warning for your teams though. When the giant begins to swell up like a balloon, _take cover_."

"Understood, Uzumaki-san." Neko replied.

Meanwhile, the Naruko Clone Army had advanced to the very outside of their range and unleashed numerous blasts of fire, wind and lightning at the giant, none of which seemed to phase it in the least.

"Team 2, attack from the left with Doton jutsu." Neko ordered, "Distract it and slow it down. Team 1, along with myself and the original Uzumaki-san, will be attacking the right. Katon, Futon and Raiton jutsu."

"HAI!" the ANBU and Naruko chorused, before vanishing in _**Shunshins**_ to attack their designated locations.

**The Right Side of the Akuryō no Moriki**

"_**Fūton: Kazekiri no Jutsu! (Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu!)**_" Nezumi said, sending several strong blades made of wind at the ankle of the giant root-person.

"_**Fūton: Daitoppa no Jutsu! (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu!)**_" Inu called before he unleashed an enormous blast of wind at the giant.

"_**Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu!**_" Neko belched a large dragon made of fire at the giant, _through_ the _**Daitoppa**_, making the fire dragon swell to twice its original size.

"_**Fūton: Fūrō no Jutsu!**_" Naruko launched three blasts of wind at the _**Gōryūka**_, increasing it in size yet again.

"_**Raiton: Shichū Shibari no Jutsu! (Lightning Style: Four Pillar Bind Jutsu!)**_" Usagi intoned, causing four large stone pillars to rise up around the huge leg and unleash lightning at it, trapping it there.

The blades of the _**Kazekiri**_ struck home but didn't cause much in the way of damage, much to the shock of Nezumi. All that showed for his effort was a small, shallow cut across the roots of the leg.

Whereas, when the _**Gōryūka**_ on steroids slammed into the leg, the pale blue flames covering it seemed to grow hotter and larger, then the flame dragon simply…vanished…as if it had never been there.

"**AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!"** bellowed the Akuryō no Moriki as the flames enveloping its entire body seemed to go into overdrive, burning hotter and faster than before.

"What the hell…?!" Neko shouted as the ANBU fell back from the heat.

"I _told _you!" Naruko shouted back, "The flames feed on chakra! By hitting them with more chakra, you just upped their output!"

"I thought you meant they fed off of the _target's_ chakra, not _all_ chakra!" Neko retorted.

"Yeah? Well you should have asked for confirmation!" Naruko shot back, "The _**Koenryū**_ was designed to take out chakra constructs, which could be powered by chakra taken from _dozens_ of people! _Of course _it can absorb other chakra sources other than the target's own!"

"How the hell'd you get your hands on it?" Neko shouted as she flipped behind the castles perimeter wall and was shortly joined by Naruko, who grinned at her cheekily.

"Millennia old demon foxes tend to have more than a few tricks up their sleeves." The Uzumaki Heiress said with a shrug, "He's been quiet since I lit the Akuryō no Moriki up like a bonfire though. Not even a 'work harder brat.'"

"Good." Neko said, "You'll pardon me if the Kyuubi not talking to its jailor is something I am happy about."

"He. Not 'it'." Naruko said coldly, "The Kyuubi is male and is just as intelligent as or more so than most people I have met. I have been called an 'it' enough times to dislike referring to someone as a thing rather than as a sentient being."

Neko regarded Naruko for a moment before nodding slowly. "I…see. My apologies. I had not thought of it like that."

"Meh." Naruko waved dismissively, "Water under the bridge. Lets get back to pruning this overgrown tree down to size."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**The Left Side of The Giant**

"_**Doton: **__**Arijigoku no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Antlion Jutsu!)**_" Saru slammed his hands on the ground, causing all the earth beneath the left foot of the Akuryō no Moriki to turn into loose sand and drew the large foot down into a fairly large pit.

Fairly large for any human, but the tree only slid in up to midway up its ankle, which displeased the monkey-masked ANBU slightly.

"_**Doton: Retsudo Tenshō no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Earthquake Slam Jutsu!)**_" Ushi then slammed his palms onto the ground, twisting the earth into a whirlpool of rocks that slammed into the trapped appendage, tightening the earth's grasp__on the giant.

"_**Doton: **__**Ganchūrō**__** no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Stone Pillar Prison Jutsu!)**_" Hitsugi growled, creating pillars that appeared out of the earth to intersect themselves around the flaming leg in a complex lattice that held the leg in place like a giant manacle.

The earth that Ushi had manipulated and the stone pillars that Hitsugi created burst into blue fire, making the ANBU swear loudly.

"I know this fire is supposed to kill the damn enemy, but does it _have_ to work against our jutsu as _well_?" Saru growled in frustration.

"It's one of _Uzumaki's_ jutsu." Hitsugi said with a shrug, "Why would it behave in a logical manner?"

"Point." Ushi remarked.

"Oi! Less talking, more blasting, you three!" Ryu snapped impatiently.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Saru muttered, "_I'm_ the team leader, damn it…"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back With Naruko…**

"Dammit!" Naruko cursed. She, the ANBU and her One-Woman-Army had fired off enough jutsu to subdue an entire army of Shinobi, but the demon tree was still fighting on. Just about the only _good_ thing to happen was the other team successfully trapping the left leg in the earth.

"How long until the damn thing dies already!" The Uzumaki Heiress snarled. She was seriously beginning to hate this damn tree!

"As long as it takes." Neko said grimly. The purple-hared ANBU was emanating exhaustion, but still stood ready to fight, which really impressed Naruko; Even most jonin would be knocked out by the amount of chakra the ANBU operative had used in the last…how long had it been again? At least half an hour since Naruko herself had started fighting the giant, and at least ten since the two ANBU teams had stepped up and unleashed several very impressive jutsu against the demon tree's new form.

Naruko had never wanted to be a member of ANBU. In fact, another highly obscure Clan Law actually outlawed the last members of a Clan from so much as _trying_ to join the ANBU. But right now, she was mentally raising her estimation of their chakra reserves, as well as her own level of respect for the masked shinobi.

'_Note to self: stop pissing off the ANBU while in Konoha._' Naruko thought before she decided to have a word with her tenant.

'_Kyuubi, is there any reason why the damn demon tree hasn't keeled over yet?_' Naruko asked.

'**The body is significantly larger than it was originally.'** the Kyuubi said with a frown. He had been watching everything Naruko had done, so there had been no need for Naruko to update him, **'At a guess, the demon tree has spread the entirety of its original body throughout the structure of that body, significantly slowing the spread of my chakra that you injected into it. It will die, but with the sheer volume of roots it has to go through means it will take an entire day before that happens.'**

'_We don't _have_ a day!_' Naruko shouted, '_The ANBU are good, but even the fight against you only lasted half an hour, and those that survived were exhausted! We need another option!_'

'**You need to inject more of my chakra into the demon tree.'** the Kyuubi replied, wincing at the volume Naruko had used, **'The more of my chakra you inject, the faster the abomination will die.'**

'_The tree is covered in flames that eat chakra. I can't get near it!_' Naruko protested.

'**The flames of the **_**Koenryū **_**only affect regular human chakra, Natural Energy and uncontrolled demonic chakra.'** The Kyuubi informed his host, **'You can bypass the flames with a complete chakra cloak.'**

'_The cloak only goes up to my shoulder on one arm!_' Naruko pointed out.

'**That is just your own will restraining the cloak to your arm'** the Kyuubi said harshly, **'You are still subconsciously wary of letting my chakra envelop your entire body. Ordinarily, you would be right to be wary, but right now, I will not risk something going wrong with the destruction of the demon tree. I give you my word.'**

'_Alright. I'll trust you. For now._' Naruko replied and then looked over at Neko.

"Neko-san, I'm going to use the Kyuubi's chakra again, so take cover!" Naruko shouted at the ANBU, who whipped her head around to look at Naruko in shock.

"What?!" she exclaimed, before she flinched as Naruko became completely enveloped by a cloak of burning crimson chakra that radiated murderous intent. The feeling of overwhelming rage and power could only belong to the Kyuubi no Kitsune.

The cloak flowed over her entire body, sheathing her in crimson chakra. Naruko's cheek scars became more defined, her nails elongated into claws and her eyes became crimson. All in all, she looked…terrifying.

"**Now…let's try this again.**" Naruko growled, her voice thrumming with demonic power, making all who heard it shiver at the menace it had.

The Jinchuruki crouched on all fours before leaping straight at the fiery giant. Neko cried out a warning, but Naruko ignored her as she passed through the flames and landed on the surface of the tree.

The heat was nigh intolerable. Every breath Naruko took made her lungs feel like they were being scorched and razed by the heat.

But the flames didn't touch her.

Naruko ran up the body of the Akuryō no Moriki, partially concealed by the ghostly blue flames that were devouring it ever so slowly.

"**What is this?"** The tree boomed as it felt something foul upon its body. Looking down, it saw Naruko moving past its waist and begin charging up its abdomen, a look of utter focus and concentration on her face.

"**I will not allow you to carry out whatever you are planning, you lowly human scum!"** the demon tree growled and raised its only remaining arm to swat her away. Just as the arm was beginning to close in on Naruko, the flames finally ate through it and the enormous limb fell from the main body.

Unfortunately for Naruko, she was clipped by the thumb of the falling hand as it went down, sending her spinning in midair.

Instinctively, Naruko thrust her arm out towards the Akuryō no Moriki. The chakra around her arm shot out like a kunai, homing in on the shoulder of the giant avatar of the demon tree and grabbing on. Once it had grabbed the root-body, the chakra reeled her in like a fish on a hook.

"**What are you?!"** the tree bellowed. It was feeling something it had never felt in its entire existence: fear. Never had it come across a human so determined to destroy it. Not even its creator, Morisato Kazenotsuchi, had gone to the lengths that this girl was going to.

Neither had he had access to this foul chakra that repulsed even the Akuryō no Moriki. Never had the demon tree encountered anything like this chakra, never had anyone or anything damaged it as badly as the chakra and the human girl combined had done.

The Akuryō no Moriki was completely without knowledge of what its enemy was and that didn't just worry the ancient tree, it terrified it.

"**Your end!**" Snarled Naruko as she drew closer to her target: the Third Eye Point. She landed amidst the flames once again, this time in the middle of the shoulder, and ran at the head, even as the giant head began to turn in her direction.

"**Not a chance!"** retorted the demon tree, **"**_**Senpō: Shinsoku no Jutsu! (Sage Art: Divine Breath Jutsu!)**_**"**

The demon tree let loose an enormous blast of wind from its mouth that twisted, turned and then homed in on Naruko like a moth to flames.

Naruko regarded the incoming wind for a moment, before opening her mouth and unleashing a mighty roar that resounded and echoed across the entire forest of Morimura. The sound waves emanating from Naruko's mouth battered the Natural Energy-enhanced wind until it was shredded into so many breezes and zephyrs.

"**Impossible!"** the tree said, stunned. Then it began swearing as its mouth was lit on fire because of the Koenryū's chakra hunting flames.

Naruko leapt on to the squashed nose of the Akuryō no Moriki and ran up to the centre of the giant forehead. She drew back the Kongōgatana and sliced it along the area where she planned to inject the Kyuubi's chakra.

"**I'll kill you!"** screamed the demon tree, **"I'll kill you! I will kill your friends, family, and everything you care about! You will regret the day you ever heard of the Hason Shinboku! Do you hear me, you human trash?!"**

Naruko froze when the tree threatened her friends. The expression on her face darkened and became thunderous. She smiled coldly as she drew back her free arm, which pulsed with power.

"**No, you won't.**" The Uzumaki Heiress told the tree coldly, "**With this, I will end you, so that others will never be hurt by you ever again. The biggest mistake you made? You threatened my friends. NO ONE threatens my friends. Especially not a corrupted damn tree!**"

With that, Naruko thrust her arm into the opening she had carved and ground out, "_**Yōko no Koromo: Chakra Chūsha!**_"

As the undiluted chakra of the Kyuubi flowed into the opening, the Akuryō no Moriki screamed in agony as the corruption caused by the Kyuubi's chakra already present within it was accelerated dramatically by the influx of new chakra.

The tree wailed, writhed and stomped its free foot in agony, but Naruko held on grimly, stabbing her blade into the head as an anchor to be safe. The tiredness that had swamped her the last time she had acted as a channel for the Kyuubi's chakra hit her after only a moment, but the kunoichi fought it off stubbornly. She had to kill this damn tree now!

'**Brat, when I say to, jump away from the demon tree.'** the Kyuubi ordered tersely.

'_Uhhh…why?_' Naruko asked warily.

'**Because that **_**particular**_** moment will be about a minute before the demon tree **_**explodes**_**.'** the Kyuubi replied, **'Any **_**more**_** stupid questions?'**

'_Nope, nothing._' Naruko said hastily, not wanting to distract the fox from acting as a danger radar.

Less than thirty seconds later, she was _really_ glad that she had done that.

'**Jump! NOW!'** roared the fox.

Withdrawing her sword from the giant's head, Naruko channelled chakra to her legs and kicked strongly away from the burning Akuryō no Moriki, which was beginning to swell up like a balloon.

"**WH-what? What is this?! No!"** shrieked the demon tree as it very quickly realised what was happening to it, **"I am immortal! Invincible! I cannot be killed by a loathsome human! It's just not possible!"**

"Yes it is!" Naruko shouted as she released the Kyuubi's chakra, "Here's a heads up, demon tree! YOU LOSE!"

With a yell of what sounded like a mix between a wail of utmost despair and a roar of absolute rage, the Akuryō no Moriki ripped its foot out of the trap the second team of ANBU had held it in and started to stumble back.

"TAKE COVER!" Naruko bellowed loudly as she landed, making certain that both ANBU teams could hear her, "IT'S GONNA BLOW!"

In a flash all the ANBU were positioned around her, already making handsigns.

"_**Doton: Tajū Doryūheki no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall Jutsu!)**_"__Saru roared as he summoned ten interlocking and layered earth walls from the ground on the side facing the demon tree.

"_**Doton: **__**Ji Dōmu no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Earth Dome Jutsu!)**_" Ryu shouted as he slammed his hands into the ground. A large, thick dome rose up around them, enclosing the nine shinobi completely.

A second later, the giant being that was the Hason Shinboku, the Akuryō no Moriki, the demon tree that had terrorised the Morimura area for a decade, exploded in an enormous conflagration of blue fire that could be seen for miles.

The flames expanded outwards, incinerating almost everything they came in contact with. The first layer of _**Doryūheki**_ lasted barely a minute, the second holding out slightly longer and the third withstood the flames with serious damage, but it still stood once the initial bloom faded.

Within the dome, Naruko and the ANBU were tense as the heat became nigh unbearable, but relaxed slightly when the heat faded to still-high but not unbearable levels.

"What now?" Naruko asked Neko.

"Depends." Neko said, "When do the flames die?"

"Once they have devoured every piece of chakra and Natural Energy that they come in contact with." Naruko replied, "Which won't be anytime soon. This entire forest is filled with roots of the Akuryō no Moriki and even the trees are infected with the demonic chakra. The entire area is going to be one big bonfire for a couple of days once it gets going."

"OK. We very quickly move via the underground then." Neko said decisively, "Are there any other people in the area that aren't in cahoots with the Yanagi Clan?"

"The resistance." Naruko replied, "Kurenai-sensei could tell you more, because she has actually been there. I haven't."

"Team 2; locate Genin Team 8, discover the whereabouts of the Resistance and proceed to evacuate them, stat." Neko ordered.

"Hai, Neko-sama!" Team 2 chorused before vanishing underground using sealless _**Doton: Dochū Senkō no Jutsu (Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage Jutsu)**_.

Naruko fell backwards onto her backside as all the tension leaked out from her body. It was finally over. The damn demon tree was destroyed.

"Are all S-Rank missions like this?" she asked Neko faintly.

"No. Worse. Usually they're a lot more gruelling, bloody and painful." Neko replied in a deadpan manner, "But the targets are usually a lot easier to kill than a giant demon tree, so in that regard you had it tougher than the usual."

Naruko had to think about that as Neko grabbed her and vanished beneath the earth with her.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Team 8...**

"Holy hell!" Anko exclaimed as she saw the enormous pillar of blue fire erupt from and consume the giant being that was the Akuryō no Moriki. The shockwave blasted past them, a wave of hot air and malevolent chakra that gave all of the group the shivers.

"Aaaarrrrggghh!" Saeko screamed in pain, drawing all attention to her. She had dropped her spear and was clutching her midriff as she writhed in agony, falling to her knees such was the pain.

"MMMMMPPPHH!" Sae also screamed, although her cry of pain was thankfully muffled by the gag in her mouth. She also writhed where she lay on the ground.

"The tree is killing them!" Gozaburo exclaimed worriedly.

"There's nothing we can do." Kurenai replied, "Those seals they are wearing are beyond even Naruko's expertise."

Saeko arced her back as she let out another scream of agony, the fabric of her kimono shredding in the stomach area to reveal an intricate seal. It was pulsing green and black, the various elements flickering and shifting as the surrounding shinobi watched.

"It…it's…falling apart." The former Clan Leader of the Yanagi said after a moment, "Without the Akuryō no Moriki to anchor it, the seal is going to self-destruct!"

"Can you stop it?" Ino asked.

"I'm not sure." Gozaburo admitted, "This is an extremely advanced piece of Fūinjutsu that my daughter bears. If I make a single error in deactivating it, Saeko could die."

"If you do nothing, she's going to die anyway!" Ino retorted.

That seemed to galvanise Gozaburo into action. After another moment of careful examination, he pressed his finger at one particular element of the seal and placed a small seal of his own over it.

The result was instantaneous. Saeko relaxed, falling onto her back and taking great gulps of air as the pain faded.

"That's a good start." Gozaburo muttered, "Now lets see…_this_ needs to be supported…_that_ matrix needs weakened…a few adjustments _here_ and _there_…right, that should do it."

The old man stepped back and wiped sweat off his brow in relief.

"What did you do?" Anko asked curiously.

"I turned the uncontrolled cascade failure of the seal into a controlled deactivation." Gozaburo replied, "The seal is based on Yanagi Fūinjutsu, so I knew roughly where the main control matrixes were and how many of them there would be, but the main problem was whether Saeko had added any unknown elements that she hadn't told me about. Fortunately, she created her seal by amalgamating several widely known seals and a few Yanagi Seals, so it was rather simple to disarm once I worked around all of the fluctuations in out put and variations in location."

"…Right." Anko said. She hadn't understood all of his explanation, but she had gathered it had been a tricky situation, so ignored the techno babble that she didn't understand in favour of that fact.

"MMMPPPHH!" Sae's eyes rolled back as she began to spasm where she lay. A green glow surrounded her and the ropes dissolved like they had been sprayed with acid, as did the gag. After a moment, Sae shambled to her feet, arms dangling and useless.

She swayed in place for a moment before her eyes snapped open, revealing that Sae's once sapphire blue eyes had been turned into sickly green orbs that had no iris or pupil, being entirely consumed by the glowing green energy that now filled Sae's body.

"**I…am the Hason Shinboku!"** a voice spoke as Sae's jaw flapped in time to the words, although the voice was not produced by vocal cords, **"And I am Immortal!"**

"Oh, for the love of…!" Anko swore before she glared at Sae/The Akuryō no Moriki in exasperation, "What does it take to kill you?!"

"**I cannot die!"** the demon tree snarled back, **"I am a god! If you really think you can kill me, you are just as delusional as that pathetic blond haired human wench!"**

"What have you done to my daughter, you monster!?" Gozaburo demanded.

"**I merely destroyed her mind and moved my consciousness in its place just before my original body was destroyed, trash."** the Akuryō no Moriki replied disdainfully, **"Her mind was nought but a puppet for my own mind anyway. She had practically no original thoughts or opinions, so I fail to see why you are so angry."**

"She was my _daughter_, you bastard!" Gozaburo growled and slammed his hands into the Tiger handsign, "_**Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri no Jutsu! (Water Style: Surface Slicer Jutsu!)**_"

A blade of water formed in front of him and shot at Sae's possessed body, slicing up the earth and rocks like a hot knife through butter. The tree tried to move Sae's body out of the way, but one of the legs was caught by the blade and was cut off rather neatly.

"**AAAAAARRRRRGGGHHH!"** screamed the Akuryō no Moriki in pure shock and pain. It had never been so vulnerable or easily hurt as it had just been proven to be by the old Clan Leader.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ino yelled, "If Sae's body dies, Saeko will die!"

"I disabled that portion of the seal." Gozaburo growled, "I have lost one of my daughters to this monster and I am not about to lose another!"

"So…there's no way Saeko will die if we take 'Sae' apart now, right?" Anko said hungrily. The Akuryō no Moriki made Sae's face snarl at them as blood spurted from the severed limb.

"None." Gozaburo said flatly, "Now, I would appreciate it if you could aid me in reclaiming my eldest daughter's body from the monster that infests it."

"With pleasure!" Ino snarled. The Yamanaka Heiress had been getting tired of sitting on the sidelines during this mission. Sure, she and Hinata had taken down half a dozen Inaba guards between them, but Naruko had fought Inaba Kogorō -twice- and had just been in an epic Smackdown with the battle-form of the demon tree. Even Anko had fought a major fight against Yanagi Sae.

Now, it was the turn of Yamanaka Ino to help fight this monster. She was tired of watching Naruko constantly stand up to strong enemies in order to protect her. This time, _Ino_ was going to do the protecting around here!

Beside her, Hinata assumed an offensive _**Jūho**_ stance, ready to launch an attack at the sign of the slightest opening. Anko and Kurenai stood next to them, also ready to move.

Opposite them, the body of Yanagi Sae, possessed by the demon tree Akuryō no Moriki, struggled back to a standing position, balanced on its one remaining foot. Sae's face was expressionless, but the eyes showed something that the Shinobi arrayed against it were not expecting: fear.

"**You…filthy animals!"** growled the demon tree, **"How dare you mar my temporary vessel like this! I will make you pay dearly for this!"**

"I'd like to see you try." Anko growled and leapt forwards, swinging her kunai at the Akuryō no Moriki.

The tree avoided Anko's attack, if barely, only to be caught when Ino formed a special handsign and said, "_**Ninpo: Shinranshin no Jutsu! (Ninja Art: Mind Destruction Jutsu!)**_"

The demon tree froze immediately, but didn't move. Ino was sweating at the amount of chakra she had to use just to hold the hijacked body in one place.

Hinata charged at the demon tree from the front, drew back her hand and said roughly, "_**Jūho**__**pō: Ichigeki Shindome! (Gentle Step Art: One Blow Heart Stopper!)**_"

The Hyuuga Heiress then slammed her hand, shaped like a spear, right at the location where Sae's heart was located, puncturing it and damaging the vital organ beyond all repair.

The Akuryō no Moriki stared at her for a moment before vomiting up blood, and gasping out, **"Heh…nice try, trash. Unfortunately for you, I don't need the heart of this vessel to live!"**

"Remove the head!" Saeko gasped as she staggered to her feet, "It has to have concentrated itself there! If you remove the head, you remove its ability to control my sister's body!"

"Good news for us then." A voice said from nowhere.

"Wha…?" Kurenai got out.

"_**Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu!**_" a pair of hands erupted from beneath the Akuryō no Moriki and dragged Sae's body down into the dirt up to its neck.

"_**Doton: **__**Chichū Jin Jūjiro no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Subterranean Blade Crossroad Jutsu!)**_" A pair of swords were briefly seen as they flicked out of the ground, decapitated the body and retreated beneath the earth again.

"**Wha…" **The Akuryō no Moriki echoed Kurenai's earlier exclamation as the head sailed through the air before landing on the ground with a small thud.

"Kurenai-san." An ANBU said as he rose out of the earth, "Uzumaki-san informed us that you know where the resistance is located?"

"Ummm…yes." Kurenai said, a bit unnerved by the monkey-masked ANBU's seeming nonchalance immediately after his team beheaded someone, "Where is my genin, Saru-san?"

"Near that." Saru gestured at the raging inferno half a mile distant from them, "Uzumaki-san estimates that the entire forest will soon be ablaze with the flames of her jutsu, so my team has been tasked with assisting with their evacuation."

"I will show you." Gozaburo said as he stepped forwards, "I built the resistance and can get them to move rather swiftly if need be."

Saru nodded. "Lead the way then, Yanagi-san." he said as the rest of his team emerged from the ground.

Yanagi Gozaburo nodded then, with a last look at the severed head of his eldest daughter, he leapt into the trees, swiftly followed by the ANBU.

After a moment, Ino walked over to the gristly object and picked it up gingerly by the hair.

"What should we do with Sae's body?" she asked Saeko, who regarded the head of her identical twin sadly.

"We should burn both the head and her body, so there is absolutely no chance that the demon tree can possibly revive again." Saeko said quietly.

Nearby, a tree erupted into blue flames.

"That ought to do it." Ino said, "Anko-sensei, can you grab the rest of the body?"

"Yep." The Snake Mistress had summoned some snakes to burrow around the body and loosen it enough that it was easy to pull out, "Gotta say, that was a well executed attack, pardon the pun. Both cuts look like only one was made."

"ANBU are very good swordsmen." Kurenai said with a shrug.

"**GAH"** The head in Ino's hand jerked to life with a shout and said, **"Dammit! I will not die like this! I refuse to be killed by human trash!"**

"Oh shut up and die already!" Ino said, her voice full of contempt and, without giving the severed head time to respond, tossed it into the burning flames. Anko followed suit by tossing the rest of Sae's corpse after the head.

As soon as the cadaver hit the flames, it was covered by them, the blue flames of the _**Koenryū**_ licking hungrily at the corpse. The same as true with the severed head that contained all that was left of the Akuryō no Moriki.

"**Nooooo!"** Wailed the demon tree, **"This shouldn't be possible! My purpose, a decade's preparation and my divine body, all destroyed in a single day?! By human scum?! I refuse to allow this!"**

"Shame that you don't have any choice in the matter -NOT!" snorted Anko with a sneer, "Now get lost, ya loser!"

With a final wail of frustrated rage and pain, the severed head of Yanagi Sae was consumed by the blue flames, destroying all that remained of the Akuryō no Moriki for once and for all.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's get out of this forest." Kurenai said, "I think we've had quite enough of Morimura Forest for a lifetime!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Reinforcement to Wave!**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is of my own creation.**

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**Ryūketsu Suiyō ****Ryū: Kushizashi no Yōsai - Bloody Weeping Willow Style: Fortress of Impalement**

Rank: A

Type: _Nagamakijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user launches themselves towards the enemy and rapidly thrusts the nagamaki at the target multiple times. The speed of this technique is such that it appears that the blade vanishes and only becomes visable when the blade pierces its target._

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Magen: Jubaku Satsu no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _After the user vanishes in a mist, the target finds themselves bound by the limbs of a tree that materialises behind them, utterly paralysing them, allowing the user to finish the target off at will._

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Ninpo: Kanashibari no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Paralysis Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A technique that temporarily restrains the enemy, widely used by Hunter Nin._

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**Ryūketsu Suiyō ****Ryū: Zanshu-sai - Bloody Weeping Willow Style: Beheading Festival**

Rank: B

Type: _Nagamakijutsu, Offensive, Clone Jutsu_

Effect: _The user charges at the enemy before seeming to vanish, when in reality, the user jumps into the air and then brings the nagamaki's blade down like a guillotine. Should the attack miss, the blow creates a large cloud of dust that the user can use. By sending out a basic clone as a diversion, the user can then sneak behind the target and launch a second attack directed at beheading the target._

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**Yōko no Koromo: Chakra Chūsha - Demon Fox Cloak: Chakra Injection**

Rank: A

Type: _Tailed Beast Skill, Taijutsu_

Effect: _A stronger version of Kyuubi Naruko Rangeki: __Yōki__Chūsha. Basically, the same, except the chakra injection is performed while Naruko is in either a partial or full One-Tailed Chakra Cloak._

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**Tajū Ne Bunshin - Multiple Root Clones**

Rank: B

Type: _Kinjutsu, Clone Jutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _Creates up to twelve Root Clones from the surrounding area. Only usable by the Akuryō no Moriki._

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**Akuryō no Moriki: Shikō ****Fudō-ō - Evil Spirit Forest Tree: Supreme Immovable King**

Rank: S

Type: _Kinjutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _This jutsu transforms the Akuryō no Moriki into its combat form, which resembles Acala the Immovable One. The combat form is about twice the size of the Jaaku-rin __Maō no Jutsu._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Senpō: Zen'nō Sekiryoku no Jutsu - Sage Art: Almighty Repulsion Jutsu**

Rank: S

Type: _Defensive, Ninjutsu, Senjutsu_

Effect: _This jutsu control all the wind around the user's body and pushes it away from them, repelling anything and anyone touching the user. Also repels anything within a reasonable distance of the user's body._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Doryū Jōheki no Jutsu - Earth Style: Earth-Style Rampart Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Defensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _Derived from the Doryūheki no jutsu, this version creates a massive rampart, which can be used as a defence against attack._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Chidōkaku no Jutsu- Earth Style: Moving Earth Core Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Supplementary, Offensive, Defensive_

Effect: _Allows the user to raise or lower the land around them like an elevator. The size and shape of the affected terrain is dependent on the user._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: **Iwa Hinansho no Jutsu** \- Earth Style: Rock Shelter Jutsu

Rank: High-C

Type: _Defensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _Creates a defensive bulwark out of the surrounding earth. It can also have openings for the user to see through._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Futon: Kazekiri no Jutsu - Wind Style: Wind Cutter Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _The user, either by chakra manipulation or by using a ninja tool as a medium, creates blades of wind to assail the enemy._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Futon: Daitoppa no Jutsu - Wind Style: Great Breakthrough Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A simple technique that send a blast of wind towards the opponent. A master of this jutsu can even uproot a large tree._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Raiton: Shichū Shibari no Jutsu - Lightning Style: Four Pillar Bind Jutsu

Rank: High- B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _Using four giant pillars of rock as a medium, the user traps the target with bolts of lightning that can also cause damage to the target._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Arijigoku no Jutsu - Earth Style Antlion Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _Causes the ground and everything on it to be sucked into the centre, where they are dropped into a pit, either trapping them or suffocating them, depending on the depth of the pit._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Retsudo Tenshō no Jutsu - Earth Style: Earthquake Slam Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _Causes the earth in the area to spiral in and crush the enemy. More effective in rocky or mountainous terrain._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Ganchūrō no Jutsu - Earth Style: Stone Pillar Prison Jutsu

Rank: High-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Defensive_

Effect: _Creates rock pillars out of the ground to trap the enemy._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Senpō: Shinsoku no Jutsu - Sage Art: Divine Breath Jutsu**

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Senjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user unleashes a blast of wind that tracks the target until it strikes the target._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Tajū Doryūheki no Jutsu - Earth Style: Multi Mud Wall Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Defensive_

Effect: _Creates multiple walls from the ground to protect the user._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: **Ji ****Dōmu** no Jutsu - Earth Style: Earth Dome Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Defensive_

Effect: _Creates a dome around the user to protect from external attacks._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Dochū Senko no Jutsu - Earth Style: Subterranean Voyage Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _Allows the user the ability to swim through the ground like a fish._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Suiton: Mizu Kamikiri no Jutsu - Water Style: Surface Slicer Jutsu

Rank: Mid-C

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _The user sends a blade of water through the ground to assail the enemy. Sharp and strong enough to cut through solid rock, this jutsu is easily avoided by jumping away from it._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Jūho****pō: Ichigeki Shindome - Gentle Step Art: One Blow Heart Stopper**

Rank: C

Type: _Taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai_

Effect: _The user strikes the target's heart with a single blow, injecting their chakra in the form of a spear through the heart and causing irreparable damage to it._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Doton: Chichū Jin Jūjiro no Jutsu - Earth Style: Subterranean Blade Crossroad Jutsu**

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kenjutsu, Collaboration_

Effect: _Two partners attack the target, one from the front or back, one from the left or right. They strike as one, creating a cross as they attack._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**


	18. Reinforcement to Wave!

**Author's Note: Yo. This chapter is more of a recap and transition chapter than anything else.**

**Some people have worried that Naruko is a bit of a Mary Sue in this story, but have no fear. I hate Gary Stus and Mary Sues as much as the next person, so there will be none of that in my story, thank you very much!**

**I must say, I am really surprised at how well received this story is, considering it was an idea that was bouncing around in my head for three days until I gave up and typed it up. Reviews are appreciated, especially if they contain constructive criticism.**

**Next time, it will be the Wave Arc proper.**

**Till then, enjoy this chapter.**

**On with the fic!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto isn't my property, more's the pity.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 18: Reinforcement to Wave!**

**Timeskip - Early Morning the Next Day**

**Outskirts of the former Morimura Forest**

Six hundred and seventy seven.

That was how many people had survived the insane reign of Yanagi Sae and the Akuryō no Moriki. The census from ten years ago had put the combined population of the Morimura area at roughly two and a half _thousand_, including the four Ninja Clans and their servitor Clans.

Yūhi Kurenai was exhausted from the last day of exertion, especially the last three hours. The refugees from Morimura Village had run with everything they had, the blue flames that were consuming the forest licking at their heels the entire way. The ANBU had tried to slow down the advance of the flames, but most of their efforts were in vain, as the earth walls they erected to act as a barricade were rapidly consumed by the fire almost as fast as the ANBU could raise them. Only a desperate and inventive use of _**Doton: **__**Doryūkatsu no Jutsu (Earth Style: Earth Flow Divide Jutsu)**_ had bought enough time to get the last of the stragglers out of the forest and into the ersatz triage centre that forty or so of Naruko's clones had set up.

Within the camp, the ANBU and Team 8 had discovered twenty or so withered and frail men and women who Naruko had retrieved from the depths of the Gallows Chamber. They were very weak and Anko had knocked herself unconscious from chakra exhaustion in order to stabilise them.

The real Morimura Shin'ichi was one of the survivors and he was lying down on a roll of cloth and chatting quite amicably with Yanagi Gozaburo, albeit in a weak voice.

"Kurenai-sensei? Are you alright?" Naruko asked a concerned look on her face.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine Naruko." Kurenai smiled tiredly, "I'm just a bit tired is all. What about you?"

"About the same." Naruko admitted, "Today has been _really_ taxing on me, physically and mentally. Still have quite a bit of my chakra left though. Ah well, time to send Ji-chan my report."

"Wait, what?" Kurenai was becoming annoyed that those two words were becoming far too commonplace when dealing with the Uzumaki Heiress.

"Like this: _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**_" Naruko said slamming her hand onto the ground. A summoning formula spread out from her hand and a large puff of smoke erupted around Naruko. When the smoke cleared, a small monkey dressed like a samurai stood in front of Kurenai and Naruko blinking at them in confusion.

"Wait, what the…?" the monkey spluttered before focussing on Naruko, "Here, who are you? You aren't Sarutobi!"

"Err…no. I'm Naruko, the newest Summoner of the Monkey Clan." Naruko replied.

"Oh? Well isn't that the thing?" the monkey said, "Nice to meet ya! I'm Hisaru! What do you need?"

"I need you to take this to the other Summoner of the Monkey Clan." Naruko said, pulling a scroll from her coat and handing it to Hisaru, "Is that alright with you?"

"Sure." Hisaru said and vanished in a puff of chakra smoke.

"Naruko, why did you ignore me just now?" Kurenai gritted out.

"Sensei, I am the Heiress of a Clan _allied_ with Konohagakure." Naruko replied wearily, "By treaty, members of the Uzumaki Clan are required to send information on potential enemies straight to the sitting Hokage."

"You talk as if the Uzumaki Clan isn't a Konoha Clan." Kurenai pointed out.

"That's because the Uzumaki Clan isn't actually registered _as_ a Konoha Clan." Naruko replied simply, "Kaa-san never registered us and that means the alliance treaty between Konohagakure and Uzushiogakure is still in full effect."

"That…that's ridiculous." Kurenai said faintly, "You're just a single person."

"So is Sasuke-teme." Naruko retorted, "Point that fact out to the council and see how far you get."

There was really no answer to that.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Same Time**

**Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower, Konohagakure**

"Hey Sensei!"

Sarutobi looked up from his daily dose of paperwork hell to see one of his wayward pupils, Jiraya, perching on the windowsill wearing his usual mishmash of ninja and kabuki clothes. His horned forehead protector bore the kanji '**油**' (Oil) rather than the usual Konohagakure symbol and his long spiky white hair hung down to his waist.

"Ah, Jiraya-kun." Sarutobi greeted the only one of his students to keep in contact with him, "Is it that time of year already?"

"Losing track of time? You sure you aren't going senile, sensei?" the Toad Sage teased with a wide grin.

"My memory is just as sharp as it was fifty years ago, thank you _very_ much!" Sarutobi huffed, and then returned Jiraya's grin, "Well then, get in here and have a seat already, Jiraya-kun. You're making my back ache just looking at you!"

Laughing, the Sannin jumped off the window and into the Sandaime's office. After taking a seat, Jiraya noticed the wary way Sarutobi was eying the desk load of paperwork before him.

"Still haven't found a way to deal with paperwork, eh sensei?" Jiraya said knowingly.

"Bah." Sarutobi looked irritated at the portrait of his successor that hung on the wall. Was it his imagination or did the gently smiling features of Namikaze Minato, the great Yondaime Hokage, look very smug right at this moment?

"I wish I could figure out how Minato-kun could spend so much time outside of the office and still keep up with all of his paperwork." Sarutobi lamented, "I could swear that Kushina-chan had something to do with it, because he went home one day depressed and came back to the office the next day full of confidence!"

"You sure sensei?" Jiraya asked with a hidden smirk, "I mean, Kushina was many things - an expert swordswoman, a taijutsu mistress, a Seal Master of the highest level- but she wasn't very good at anything to do with ninjutsu. You know that."

"True, but Minato-kun had a unique perspective on things. He was able to look at something or hear something and twist it to suit his purpose." Sarutobi pointed out, "He developed the _**Rasengan**_ after studying the _**Bijūdama**_, altered the _**Hiraishin**_ after combining Tobirama-sensei's version with some ancient Uzumaki Clan seals…it isn't beyond possibility that Kushina-chan showed him something or said something that inspired him to create a jutsu to deal with this accursed paperwork!"

Before Jiraya could do more than open his moth to reply, a small explosion of chakra smoke blossomed on the desk between the two men. When it cleared, a monkey in samurai armour stood there, one Sarutobi recognised.

"Hisaru?" he said in surprise, "I didn't summon you."

"The other Summoner asked me to deliver this to you." Hisaru replied and held out a scroll marked with the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki Clan.

"Naruko-chan?" the Hokage had a bad feeling about this, "How did she look?"

"She looked like crap." Hisaru said bluntly, "She was exhausted, covered in dirt and in the middle of a refugee camp."

Sarutobi looked at Hisaru in confusion. A refugee camp? She was supposed to be in a forest area.

"Very well. Thank you for the delivery, Hisaru." Sarutobi said with a nod.

The summon nodded back and vanished in another puff of smoke.

"Naruko? You mean she finally graduated?" Jiraya sat up straighter at this news about his goddaughter.

"Oh yes." Sarutobi replied absently as he broke the seal on the scroll and rolled it open, "She captured a traitor after mastering the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_. I would have been a fool not to graduate her."

Sarutobi read the first few lines of the scroll and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"Well well, this is intriguing. Naruko is invoking the treaty between Uzu and Konoha." He remarked.

"Which part?" Jiraya asked.

"The mutual exchange of information section." Sarutobi replied, "More precisely, the 'overt threat to Konoha' section."

There was silence in the office while Sarutobi read the scroll, only the occasional glare by Jiraya showed he wasn't happy with the current situation.

"Bloody flaming hell." Sarutobi sighed as he sagged into his seat, "I send her on a _C_-Rank mission and it turns into a bloody _S-Rank_!"

"WHAT!?" Jiraya shouted, "What the hell happened, sensei?!"

"Oh, nothing much." Sarutobi deadpanned, "She and her team were ambushed by the local dictators, who practiced human sacrifice to a vampire demon tree in exchange for power, and fought a brutal life-or-death battle against them and the demon tree."

Sarutobi paused to take in Jiraya's gobsmacked expression, then added, "Oh, and she has accessed the Kyuubi's chakra no less than three times in the last twenty-four hours."

That seemed to snap the Toad Sage out of his disbelief. "She accessed _its_ power? How?" he exclaimed in alarm.

"He." Sarutobi corrected, "Naruko is very firm on that. She has enough people referring to her as an 'it' to dislike that practice. Apparently, she was acting as a rearguard during the initial ambush by the Chief Retainer of the Yanagi Clan and was almost killed by him. When she fell unconscious, she was drawn into what she refers to as her 'mindscape' and was drawn to the gates of the seal."

Jiraya didn't look happy about hearing that his goddaughter had almost been killed on her first mission out of the village, but a wry chuckle forced its way out of his throat.

"Heh. Sounds like Naruko inherited Kushina's luck with C-Rank missions" the Toad Sage remarked.

"Indeed." Sarutobi sighed, "I eventually had to forbid her from accepting C-Ranks because in every C-Rank she ever accepted, _something_ would cause them go be promoted to High-B or Mid-A Missions.

However, back to the original subject, Naruko and the Kyuubi struck a bargain: they would work together to defeat the demon tree, then the Kyuubi would give Naruko three tests. If she passes them, she will have full access to the Kyuubi's chakra and the fox would cease interfering with Naruko's chakra control. Should she fail even one test, the Kyuubi will continue to interfere with her chakra control and she will have to find another way of controlling the Kyuubi's chakra."

Jiraya processed that for a moment. "Well, that is certainly interesting. It is good that its happening now as well."

"Oh?" Sarutobi looked enquiringly at Jiraya, "What makes you say that?"

"There's a mercenary group formed of S-Rank Nuke-Nin that seem to be making moves towards the Jinchuruki." Jiraya said, then looked slightly uncomfortable, "My sources say that Orochimaru was a member for a while, but left after he attacked another member…Uchiha Itachi."

Sarutobi sighed as he heard of the evil his former student had been up to since he had let the Snake Master flee Konoha. The Sandaime had regretted letting the man escape for years, and, after Anko had been discovered in Umi no Kuni, he had promised himself that the next time he came across the Snake Master, there would be a reckoning.

"I see." Sarutobi said sadly, "My mistake seems to come back to haunt the rest of the world, doesn't it, Jiraya-kun?"

"You did your best with him sensei." Jiraya assured the aged Hokage, who looked to be feeling every one of his sixty plus years at the moment, "He made his own choices and a part of me still wonders to this day if there had been anything Tsunade and I could have done to stop him. Every time, I come up blank."

The two men were silent for a moment before the Hokage shook himself and kick started his thought process again.

"Ahem. Right." Sarutobi coughed, before continuing to speak, "Well, returning to Naruko and Team 8, apparently Naruko used an incredibly powerful Katon jutsu that feeds on both regular chakra and Natural Energy, using it to power itself, in order to defeat the demon tree. They evacuated all of the survivors of Morimura, as well as those few who had survived being sacrificed to the demon tree. Morimura is a flaming pyre of blue Kitsunebi (Foxfire) and the ANBU are being run ragged tending to the twenty survivors. Anko has worked herself unconscious just to stabilise them."

He paused while Jiraya did a passable impression of a landed fish, jaw flapping in the wind. When he finally got himself under control, he managed to choke out, "The jutsu can _feed _on Natural Energy?!"

"Yes, that would be the part a sage like you would latch on to, Jiraya-kun." Sarutobi chuckled, "You don't have to worry though. Once the demon tree was destroyed, Naruko lost all knowledge of how to perform the jutsu as it was seemingly a temporary loan from the Kyuubi."

"That is a _very_ good thing." Jiraya said with feeling, making his sensei chuckle yet again.

"She writes here that she should be able to create Katon jutsu that use a diluted version of the Kyuubi's chakra in what I recognise is very similar to how you gather Natural Energy." the Sandaime remarked casually.

Jiraya looked at his sensei for a moment before unsealing a flask of sake and downing half of it.

"Well, at least she'll have practice when I eventually take her to Mount Myōboku." he said once he finished off the bottle.

"You still insist on training her?" Sarutobi clarified.

"I owe it Minato and Kushina." Jiraya replied, "Hell, I owe them far _more_ than that. I should have stayed in the village to look after her, or taken her with me. Instead I left her to the not-so tender mercies of the ignorant villagers all these years. When she finds out, I doubt that she'll forgive me."

"I, for one, have made a habit out of not underestimating Naruko." Sarutobi remarked, "She has defied all expectations that the villagers, Academy teaching staff and the rest of the village Shinobi put on her. I would not count my kunai before the pack is opened if I were you."

"I won't hold my breath, old man." Jiraya replied, before putting a serious expression on his face, "So what are you going to do about the displaced villagers?"

Sarutobi sighed. "I will send a messenger to the Fire Daimyo to prepare a more solid temporary refugee camp. I will also dispatch some Med-nins to support Neko's ANBU Squads in aiding those who desperately require medical aid."

"We'll also need to take statements from them as to exactly what the hell happened there as well." the Toad Sage said, "Are you going to send Ibiki?"

Sarutobi gave the Toad Sage an 'Are you serious' look. "Send the most intimidating man in _ANBU T&amp;I _to interrogate over five hundred traumatised, frightened civilians? Was that sake spiked?"

"Oi!" Jiraya protested indignantly.

"No, I think not." Sarutobi ignored his former student's protestations, "I will request a bevy of psychologists from T&amp;I -_not_ including Ibiki! - in order to gently extract the story from them. I think that now that the Yanagi Clan is all but dead, there will be more than a few people breaking down from the lack of pressure keeping them focussed and held together."

Jiraya nodded. "And Team 8?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, I have more work for them." the Sandaime said with a sigh, "Two days ago, I gave Team 7 a C-Rank mission to escort a bridge builder, Tazuna, to Nami no Kuni (Wave Country) and guard him until the bridge was complete.

This morning, I received word via one of Kakashi's Ninken that Tazuna-san had lied about the mission parameters. First, they were ambushed by the Demon Brothers."

"The C-Rank Nuke-nin from Kirigakure?" Jiraya asked, "Damn. Who the hell did a bridge builder piss off to get _those_ mad dogs sent after him?"

"Gatō." Sarutobi growled.

"As in the shipping magnate? One of the richest men in the Elemental Nations?" Jiraya's eyebrows shot up at Sarutobi as the Hokage nodded.

"That's not all. Rather than turning back, Kakashi let his students decide whether to proceed or not." Sarutobi frowned slightly as he spoke, "As you'd expect, they unanimously voted to continue. The next day, just after arriving in Wave, they were assaulted by Momochi Zabuza."

"The Demon of the Bloody Mist!?" Jiraya's eyes were popping out at this revelation, "He's a High-A Rank Nuke-nin! Gatō must _really_ want this Tazuna person dead if he's forking out the cash for a Nuke-nin of Zabuza's quality. Gatō's a notorious tightwad."

"The story is that Gatō is, for all intents and purposes, the de-facto ruler of Nami no Kuni, due to his controlling monopoly of the shipping routes that are the lifeblood of a nation like Nami." Sarutobi said, "Not even the Wave Daimyo can stand against him, and he even killed a man in a public execution for daring to stand against him. His name was Kaiza, the Hero of Wave."

"Damn that short-arsed little prick!" Jiraya snarled, "I was wondering why one of my agents in Nami hadn't reported in a while! Kaiza was one of my agents!"

"I see." Sarutobi said slowly, "Well, Kakashi fought off Zabuza and would have killed him, except he was beaten to it by one of Kirigakure's Oinin-Butai (Hunter-Nin Corps). Kakashi then collapsed from overuse of his _**Sharingan**_ and only woke up this morning."

Jiraya snorted. "That punk always did rely too much on that damn eye infection." the Toad Sage said dismissively, "I should've beaten the basics back into him a long time ago. This clinches it; Kakashi is getting the Shinobi Boot Camp from Hell treatment once he gets his carcass back here."

Sarutobi shivered at the decisive tone Jiraya was using. He felt a fleeting amount of pity for the Elite Jonin. When he wanted to be, the Toad Sage could be the Drill Sergeant from Hell when it came to training.

"Yes, well, kindly leave enough of him intact to let him train his genin." Sarutobi said dryly, "He has only just started training them properly and Naruko would hate to have to thrash them again."

"She beat the _entire team_?" Jiraya asked gleefully.

"_Without_ using her favourite Jutsu to boot." Sarutobi confirmed, "She really is an excellent kunoichi. I'm rather looking forward to promoting her so I can rub the fact in the Civilian Councils collective faces. Discretely, of course."

"Do they still have their heads up their asses?" Jiraya asked somewhat rhetorically.

"All save a few like Councillor Haruno." Sarutobi replied, "Her daughter is a friend of Naruko's, you know. I shudder to think how difficult things would have been with a Civilian Council acting as a unified whole against Naruko. As it is, Naruko merely has to endure glares and the occasional insult."

"Idiots." Jiraya muttered.

"Quite." Sarutobi agreed, "She will prove them wrong eventually. I have faith in her ability to do so. In the meantime, she and Team 8 can provide support to Team 7 for the remaining duration of their mission."

"Damn, she's really being thrown in at the deep end." Jiraya shook his head unhappily.

Sarutobi was also unhappy. "Team 8 are the nearest available reinforcements that I can spare. The ANBU are needed to guard the refugees and stabilise the injured. Most of the available Shinobi in Konoha are either on rest from active duty after high-ranking missions or simply not strong enough to make a difference. The ANBU are also stretched to the max, with the bare minimum stationed inside the village and the rest out on missions."

"See, now _this_ is why I never want to have to take your job." Jiraya said triumphantly, "Decisions like this always make me _really_ glad that someone else has to make them."

Sarutobi threw Jiraya a dirty look as he returned to perusing the scroll, and then froze.

"Dear kami…" he breathed.

"Sensei?" Jiraya asked, concerned.

"Naruko managed to get one further thing from the Kyuubi from her talks with him." Sarutobi replied, "A confirmation that someone deliberately infiltrated and attacked the secret birthing chamber. Someone wearing a one eyed mask…and bearing a _**Mangekyō Sharingan**_."

"Fucking Uchiha!" Jiraya exploded, "Who in the Uchiha Clan had a _**Mangekyō**_ twelve years ago?!"

"No-one." Sarutobi replied, "Itachi didn't acquire it until he killed Shisui, Shisui's was a pure Genjutsu variant, the _**Kotoamatsukami**_, which is beside the point as he didn't gain his until two years after the Day of the Kyuubi. The only other members of the Uchiha Clan that possessed the _**Mangekyō Sharingan**_ were Uchiha Naka and Uchiha Naori, and they both died on missions before the Day of the Kyuubi."

"Dammit, another dead-end!" Jiraya cursed.

"Not necessarily." Sarutobi corrected, "According to Naruko, the attacker claimed to be Uchiha Madara, which is disputed by the Kyuubi. What I believe is the truth is that Madara taught a successor, and that this man is that successor's student, each assuming the name 'Uchiha Madara' as a title, rather than as an actual name."

"So a rogue Uchiha teaches another rogue Uchiha who, in turn, teaches yet _another_ rogue Uchiha?" Jiraya reasoned, "Gah, this is getting complicated. So you are saying that we need to check for other Uchiha Nuke-nins?"

"Not just that, but also instances where an Uchiha _supposedly_ died but there was no body or explanation for a lack of body." Sarutobi added, "Even then, it will be inconclusive at best."

"Still, some direction is better than none, sensei." Jiraya pointed out, "Did Naruko say anything else?"

"Just that she wants to know where the Summoning Contract for the Crow Clan is." Sarutobi replied as he scanned the scroll one last time.

"She knows about the Crow Contract?" Jiraya asked, before a thought occurred to him, "Hey, did you let her sign the Monkey Contract? She sent the report via a monkey summon, so she must have signed it."

"Actually, she possesses the En'ō Kago-te." Sarutobi replied with a smile, "That grants her the status of an Honorary Contractor to the Monkey Clan."

"Wait, that means she can still sign two contracts!" Jiraya's face lit up with an evil grin, "A Tri-Contractor! There's never been one in the history of the world…until now. Oh, this is going to be brilliant!"

The Toad Sage was practically dancing in joy at the thought of such a thing being possible. Sarutobi smiled at Jiraya's enthusiasm before frowning.

"Personally, I don't know where Kushina-chan hid the contract after she let Itachi sign it." the Hokage remarked, "Any ideas, Jiraya-kun?"

"Maybe the Yamashiro Clan has it." Jiraya suggested, "They use jutsu that make use of birds, so they would be the best people to hide a bird contract."

"No, they would be far too obvious." Sarutobi disagreed, "Kushina-chan's apartment would be a good place to start. She always used to tell me that she had a safe there that she kept her more private items in. No-one's moved in to that flat since she moved out of it, so it should be exactly as she left it."

"Would she really have left such a valuable this as the Crow Contract in an abandoned apartment?" Jiraya asked sceptically.

"Inside a safe that she safeguarded by powerful seals that are designed to only allow a short list of people access." Sarutobi corrected Jiraya delicately, "The list goes, in no particular order: Minato-kun, Kushina-chan, myself and you."

"She keyed me into the seals?" The Sannin was surprised, "Why would she do that?"

"I believe that was Minato-kun's doing." Sarutobi replied, "He insisted that you, as his teacher, should have access in case something happened to the three of us."

Jiraya looked down for a moment, remembering the man who had been like a son to him.

'_Minato…_'

"Right." Jiraya looked up, fire burning in his eyes, "I'll go look for the contract, you write out orders for the jonin in charge of Naruko's team…actually, who _is_ in charge of Naruko's team?"

"Two people are, actually." Sarutobi replied, "A newly promoted jonin, Yūhi Kurenai, the Genjutsu Mistress, and Tokujo Mitarashi Anko, the Snake Mistress."

"Anko?! As in _Orochimaru's_ Anko?!" Jiraya yelped in shock.

"No, as in the Tokubetsu Jonin who is joint-second in command of the ANBU T&amp;I division." Sarutobi replied softly. Jiraya nodded once.

"Fine, but why did you assign those two to the same squad?" the Toad Sage asked.

"Because I felt that, since they had similar backgrounds, they would be able to bond with each other and perhaps heal some old wounds in each other." the Sandaime replied, "Indubitably, I was correct. They now trust each other to the point that Anko-chan is teaching Naruko Injutsu."

Jiraya stared at Sarutobi for a moment until the statement sunk in. Then he was rocketed off his heels by an enormous nosebleed at the thought of the sexy and voluptuous Snake Mistress teaching anyone the sexual arts.

"Jiraya-kun, you really need to learn restraint." Sarutobi chided his pupil, "At this rate you will never be anything but a low level pervert."

Jiraya was unconscious, but the grin on his face said it all.

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**Timeskip - Two Hours Later**

**Temporary Refugee Camp, Outskirts of Morimura Forest**

Anko staggered to her feet and tottered out of the tent she had collapsed inside after expending almost all of her chakra to heal the twenty poor bastards that Naruko has rescued from the Gallows Chamber. They had been emancipated, weak and extremely low on blood from just a week in the damn tubes.

'_If we hadn't arrived, they would be as good as dead._' Anko thought hazily as she found Kurenai sitting at a table with food stacked at it.

"Hey 'Nai-chan." Anko mumbled as she plopped herself down opposite her, "Where'd the table come from?"

"Naruko had a scroll with all the supplies needed for a picnic for some reason." Kurenai replied as she pushed a plate of dango at her friend, "I suspect that they were supposed to be used for a celebration of our first completed C-Rank."

"C-Rank hell." Anko muttered, "This was at least a Low-S Rank mission if I've ever seen one."

"Tell me about it." Kurenai sighed, "All things considered, our genin pulled through admirably."

"We were all but useless, Nai-chan." Anko grumbled between bites, "Naru-chan was the only one who could fight the strongest opponents -Kogorō, the demon tree itself- while we just fought that spoiled little brat Sae and even then Naru-chan had to put her down after she somehow broke free from my _**Kanashibari no Jutsu**_."

"That was unexpected." Kurenai replied thoughtfully, "Almost as unexpected as you and Naruko referring to each other with '-chan' rather than less familiar and intimate honorifics."

Anko froze, her tired brain flooding with adrenaline and her danger senses were shrieking that she was in deep shit.

"So, Anko." Kurenai leaned forwards, "Are you going to bother telling me why you seduced one of your genin or should I just send a report to Hokage-sama recommending a disciplinary hearing?"

Anko snorted, surprising Kurenai. "Nai-chan you are barking up the wrong tree." the Snake Mistress said, "I was requested by _Naru-chan herself_ to teach her Injutsu as the Academy had pretty much cut her from any of the serious kunoichi specific classes."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "They _didn't_…!?" she whispered in shock.

"Oh yes they did." Anko growled, "Worst case of abuse I have _ever_ seen. Even my bastard of a sensei acknowledged that I was a female! He _knew better_ than to try and deny my gender! Those…those _idiots_ at the Academy are going to suffer for what they have done once I get my hands on them, but at least I undid the damage they did to her."

"So you have in fact slept with her then?" Kurenai asked for clarification.

"Best way to learn sex is by having sex." Anko said blandly, "Nai-chan, this has got to stop. You can't keep trying to impose your will on those you work with. If I'd kept silent, you would have been humiliated because Naruko asked Hokage-sama to make it an honest to kami mission!"

Kurenai went white. "She was planning to trap me." she said in disbelief.

"Not trap you per se, but make you see reason." Anko corrected her friend softly, "You are a good person Nai-chan, but you have your flaws. You're opinionated, stubborn, hotheaded -rich coming from me, I know- and when you have the idea that something is wrong, you don't hesitate to stand on a soapbox and announce the fact to all and sundry."

The Genjutsu Mistress stared at her friend in shock. Never before had Anko pointed out her flaws like this. Never before had anyone been _brave enough _to sit there and boldly declare that her way of thinking was wrong.

"…Alright." she finally said, "Care to explain that in a bit more detail?"

"Sure." Anko shrugged, "In your opinion, women shouldn't have sex until married, should be polite at all times and should only like boys. Correct?"

"Yes." Kurenai replied flatly.

"Bullshit." Anko said the word casually, but her eyes were as cold as ice and harder than flint as she looked at her friend, "While civilian women may be forced into that mould, for women who chose to be kunoichi, that is just so…_stupid_…that I can't think of another word for it. When we accept out Hitai-ate's, we accept that the next mission might be our last, that we might be horribly disfigured or worse."

Anko leaned forward, never looking away from Kurenai's wide crimson eyes for so much as a moment as she continued, "Under those circumstances, I think that being a perfect, untouched lady in not only _ridiculous_, but impractical. And as for your nonsensical dislike of girls being attracted to other girls…!"

As her friend snorted in disgust, Kurenai protested at this point. "But liking other girls is usually just a phase that adolescents go through! Besides, it's pointless as you can't get pregnant from another girl!"

The redoubled coldness in Anko's eyes made Kurenai realise that she had just spectacularly put her foot in it.

"…Nai-chan, while it is a phase that some girls go through, it can also be a permanent change for some and even the default outlook for others." Anko spoke in a precise, controlled manner that was a complete 180 from her usual manner of speech, "As to the question of children, there are blood adoption rituals so all a same-sex couple would have to do is adopt a child from an orphanage. Any other protests?"

"It's wrong." Kurenai muttered, "It's just not the proper thing. My mother…"

"…Never had anything good to say about lesbians or bisexuals, right?" Anko finished for her. When the ravenette nodded, Anko snorted again.

"Your mother was a civilian, right? Well that explains it." Anko said decisively, "Because we protect them from the realities of the world (most of the time), the civilians allow themselves to throw up barriers between us and them, making some of the things we shinobi do look scandalous, especially us kunoichi. Liking girls, being free with our bodies not being all demure and shit…it makes them feel better about themselves to slam us for 'breaking the social rules' rather than fear us for our physical abilities."

"Why would they fear us? We protect them!" Kurenai protested.

Anko looked at her friend pityingly. "Nai-chan, regardless of the fact we protect them, do you know how many civilians a genin in a residential area could kill before being captured?" she asked, "At least ten or twenty, depending on the skill level of the genin, the number of civilians in the area and the alertness of the chunin patrollers. The body count doubles for a chunin and that body count goes up by a considerable amount for a jonin.

The civilians don't fear us because of what we _do_…they fear us because of what we _could_ do. In Konoha, life is better for civilians than in any other ninja village, but that doesn't stop the fear from taking root."

Kurenai had never thought about it like that. Sure, most civilians were a bit wary around shinobi, but the crimson-eyed woman had never given much thought as to why they felt wary.

A voice interrupted Kurenai's thoughts. "Ne, An-chan, can you keep it down? I'm trying to get some sleep here."

A sleepy looking Naruko poked her head out of another nearby tent and sent a mild glare towards the two older kunoichi.

"Oh. Sorry, Naru-chan." Anko said with a grin, "Are Nata-chan and Flower Girl in there too?"

"Yeah." Naruko nodded sleepily, "They've both worked really hard today. Hell, I don't think they slept at all since yesterday. So can you two please let us sleep?!"

"Gotcha." Anko nodded at her lover, who then withdrew her head back into the tent amid several muttered comments about Jonin-sensei who were too damn loud.

"I…I'll have to think about this, Anko." Kurenai said quietly, "Everything you've said is a lot to take in."

Anko shrugged. "Sure, Nai-chan. Just don't take too long in making your mind up."

Kurenai was about to nod when an explosion of smoke erupted from within Naruko's tent, swiftly followed by shrieks from all three genin kunoichi.

After the occupants of the tent had stumbled out, it turned out that Hisaru had returned with new orders for Team 8 as a whole and an official letter of thanks from the Hokage to the acting-Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan, Naruko, in particular.

"This will _so_ irritate the idiots on the Civilian Council." Naruko said gleefully as she read the missive.

"Why?" Ino asked. Hinata answered for Naruko.

"B-Because with this response to Naruko-chan's report, Hokage-sama is acknowledging t-that the Uzumaki Clan is not a part of Konoha and i-is thus not bound by any of Konoha's Clan Laws t-that are not shared by the former Hidden Village of Uzushiogakure. Meaning…"

"…Meaning that unless and until I petition to formally add the Uzumaki Clan to the list of Konoha Clans, they can't force me onto the Clan Restoration Act, nor can they execute me as the result of a crime." Naruko finished with a grin, "In short, I am afforded the same privileges as an official Ambassador, despite the fact I'm a Konoha Shinobi. The Council will have a collective apoplexy now that they can't try to turn me into breeding stock. Not that they _could_ anyway, but better to put the kibosh on their plans before they can be formed."

"Sneaky." Ino commented. She was very taciturn when her sleep was disturbed.

Naruko shrugged, "I think of politics as pranking other people. Politics, I'm not so good at, but pranking? I'm the Prankster Queen of Konoha."

"Excellent use of thinking outside the box, Naru-chan." Anko said approvingly from behind the three genin, making them jump as they hadn't heard her approach.

"Geh! An-chan, stop doing that already!" Naruko whined as she pouted cutely at Anko.

"Niiinja." Anko drawled back teasingly, "Anyway gakis, get the tents packed away. We've been issued a new mission."

"WHAT!?" Ino shrieked, "This was an S-Rank Mission! Daddy's told me that, _by law_,all shinobi are required to have a week off of missions after one!"

"Yeah, well we are the only back up available and that is one of the few things that is accepted as a worthy reason for overturning that particular law." Anko shrugged unconcernedly, "Besides, we're going in to support Team 7 from the mess that Hatake _Baka_shi has gotten them into."

Ino and Naruko immediately raced off to disassemble the tents, Hinata on their heels.

"Hmmm…those girls are such good friends." Anko hummed as she wandered over to the picnic table and sat down, "Now I have to hope they finish before Nai-chan so she doesn't ask me how long until I finish packing the tents."

**Half an Hour and One Scolding of Anko by Kurenai Later…**

The two remaining members of the Yanagi Clan saw them off.

"Thank you for ending the reign of the Akuryō no Moriki." Saeko said with a bow, "It would have been impossible without your aid."

"It was…well, it wasn't nothing, but it was what we get paid for." Kurenai said with an awkward smile, "What will you and your father do now?"

"The Yanagi Clan has a few properties and savings accounts in Konoha." Gozaburo answered, "Once we have been interrogated, my daughter and I will move to Konoha and make a fresh start. There is nothing left for us here except pain and bad memories."

Kurenai nodded. That was totally understandable.

"Naruko-san." Saeko said, drawing the attention of the red-clad kunoichi, "You faced tremendously strong opponents armed with your shape changing bracelet and ultimately weakened the tree to the point that my father and the rest of your team were able to put the demon to rest for good. I would pay you for such service, but I lack funds right now."

"It's OK, Saeko-san." Naruko replied with a shake of her head, "I wanted to destroy the damn tree from when I first found out about it."

"As would any sane person, Naruko-san." Saeko replied with a crooked smile, "As I say, I would reward such service, so, in lieu of a cash reward… I give you my Honour Blade, Ryūshi."

With that, the Yanagi Clan Heiress unsealed her spear and offered it to Naruko, who had wide eyes.

"But…But this is one of your Clan's heirlooms!" the Uzumaki Heiress protested.

"Heirlooms can be easily replaced." Saeko replied implacably, "_Honour_ on the other hand cannot, and it is honour that _demands_ that the debt owed to you by the Yanagi Clan be repaid in full. You have been assaulted by both servants and scions of the Yanagi Clan, been close to killed by the evil that has infested this land since time immemorial and rose to the challenge with an aplomb that humbles me. Please, accept Ryūshi. I have a feeling that you will need it someday."

After waiting a moment, Naruko hesitantly reached out and gently took Ryūshi from Saeko. Hefting the spear in her hands to get a feel for it, Naruko knew that it was a masterfully crafted weapon. The balance was perfect, with no drag on it as she spun it slowly in a circle.

"This…is an _excellent_ weapon." Naruko announced, "I officially declare that this satisfies the Uzumaki Clan's side of the honour debt."

"Good." Gozaburo nodded with a smile, "I will, of course, pay the sum I previously discussed with Kurenai-san for the successful completion of this mission, although I am delighted that I was able to save one of my daughters from the fate she had intended for herself."

"Otou-sama!" Saeko protested as she smacked her father's arm in embarrassment.

"Mah, mah, calmly does it, Saeko-chan." Gozaburo teased.

"Gozaburo-san, hold out hour dominant hand." Naruko requested.

Puzzled, the man did so, palm up. Naruko pressed a finger to it and concentrated. A spiral made of ink wormed its way across the skin and settled itself at half of the radius of the palm.

"This symbol means you are under the protection of the Uzumaki Clan." Naruko explained, "Push chakra into it and I'll know that you are in trouble. Show it to the Hokage and he'll hear you out before judging you."

"Why would you do such a service for us?" Saeko asked in astonishment.

Naruko shrugged. "Purely for selfish reasons, I assure you. First, you both are at least Intermediate Seal Masters, of which Konoha currently has a dearth. Secondly, I supply seventy Exploding Tags a month to Konoha. If you would add to that, Konoha becomes stronger. Take your pick."

Naruko spoke casually, but Gozaburo, with the ease of long practice, was able to see that she just wanted to do something nice for two people who, in her opinion, had either done nothing wrong or had been coerced.

"I thank you for this favour." Gozaburo said finally, bowing slightly, "I shall have to think how to absolve ourselves of yet another honour debt."

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**Timeskip - Two Hours Later**

**Hi no Kuni Coastline**

"OK, here's the coast. How the hell do we get to Nami no Kuni?" Naruko said with a scowl as she gazed across the water at the enormous bank of fog and mist that shrouded the closest island of the archipelago that made up Nami.

"The same way Team 7 got across: by boat." Kurenai replied, "There's a smuggler that ferries people out of Nami…for a price. I'm reasonably certain we can prevail upon him to do the reverse for us."

It took Team 8 another half hour to find the smuggler and another fifteen minutes of negotiation before he agreed to ferry them across.

"So what's this Gatō character like?" Naruko asked quietly. She and the rest of the Team had read Kakashi's report as they waited for the smuggler to get the boat ready for departure.

"In a word? Scum." Anko replied, "His company, Gatō Corporation, appears to be a legitimate business at first glance, but it's actually a front for serious weapons smuggling, drug running and a prostitution ring. Gatō himself is a midget, no bigger than Flower Girl here. He is a classic case of a short, angry man with not much remotely resembling a conscience or morals. He is willing to do anything in order to accomplish his goals and has done so in the past."

Kurenai took over. "He has attempted to control countries before, but was driven out by neighbouring countries that feared what he would eventually do to them. He has hit upon a solution in taking over Nami no Kuni, where the nearest neighbouring countries are the former Uzu no Kuni, Mizu no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. Not only are the population scattered across the islands, there are also relatively few of them, making it easy for his hired thugs to oppress them. He also dealt a severe blow to their moral by killing a person who was something of a local hero."

Ino shook her head. "First a demon tree, now a midget dictator. Yeesh, our luck sucks."

"Whoa!" Naruko exclaimed and pointed at the massive shadowy edifice of a bridge that loomed out of the fog.

"Yep. That there's the hope of Nami no Kuni, Tazuna-san's bridge." The smuggler said quietly, "Please make sure he completes it. Gatō has to be stopped."

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**Timeskip - Half an Hour Later**

**Tazuna's House, Nami no Kuni**

Hatake Kakashi felt like crap. His body was heavy and unresponsive and he had a headache like you wouldn't believe. All symptoms of overuse of his _**Sharingan**_.

'_Urgh, I really hope that Gatō doesn't have any more shinobi of Zabuza's level._' the silver haired man thought as he ate the soup that Tazuna's daughter, Tsunami, had made. He was sitting at the table along with his team, Tazuna, Tsunami and Tsunami's son, Inari.

Inari was, to Kakashi's severe lack of surprise, extremely negative about Team 7's chances of beating Gatō. The death of his stepfather had obviously broken something inside the boy and he seemed to delight in taking his pain out on others.

[Knock, Knock!] Somebody was knocking on the front door.

The shinobi in the room stiffened.

"Were you expecting anyone?" Kakashi asked Tazuna, while he mentally cursed the fact that he was the next best thing to useless until he body recovered.

"Nope." Tazuna replied with a shake of his head.

"Hey, Cyclops! Get your carcass out here and open the damn door!" a familiar voice called from outside, making Team 7 relax very slightly.

"Anko." Kakashi muttered then raised his voice and asked, "What's your favourite food?"

"Dango of course!" Anko shouted back.

"Sasuke, go open the door. Kiba, you and Akamaru cover his flank." Kakashi ordered, "Sakura, guard Tazuna."

The three genin moved quickly to obey the former ANBU Captain's orders. Sakura drew a kunai and stepped in front of the bridge builder. Sasuke palmed a kunai as well and advanced silently towards the front door, Kiba and Akamaru ready to leap to the attack at the slightest sign of enemy action.

Sasuke exhaled slowly and then quickly opened the door, intending to surprise any ambushers that stood outside.

Instead, he was tackled to the ground by a blond kunoichi wearing purple as she cried, "SASUKE-KUN!"

"Ino-pig!" Sakura shouted as she stomped into the hall, "Get off of Sasuke-kun!"

As the two old rivals began to argue again, Sasuke developed a large tick mark on his head as he was pinned to the floor by Ino.

'_Even outside of Konoha, I can't get away from the fangirls!_' the Uchiha bemoaned to himself.

Outside, Naruko and Anko were rolling on the ground, clutching their aching sides as they laughed at the Uchiha's misfortune. Hinata was giggling as well, and even Kurenai had to suppress a grin.

Kakashi just shook his head and sighed. He had the feeling that his headache was about to get worse before the day was over.

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**Next Chapter: Naruko's Contempt! Grow Up, Inari!**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

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Doton: Doryūkatsu no Jutsu - Earth Style: Earth Flow Divide Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _By manipulating the energy of the Dragon Veins, an ancient source of chakra, the user can tear the earth apart, creating chasms. This jutsu can be used to destroy camps, act as a firebreak and even separate defences._

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	19. Naruko's Contempt! Grow Up, Inari!

**Author's Note: Hello, and welcome to the First Chapter in the Wave Country Arc!**

**Those who are following my other stories, Code Geass: The Prepared Rebellion and Zero no Tsukaima: Saito the Onmyoji, already know this, but a couple of weeks ago, my grandmother passed away at the age of 88, which was, quite naturally, very distressing for me.**

**I had written 2,000 words of Saito the Onmyoji when I heard the news, but I lost my inspiration to write after that. I did manage to finish that chapter, but lost the will to write again after my grandmother was cremated.**

**That is why this had taken so long to get out and I hope you all understand why that is.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter and please rate and review.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. I am not Masaki Kishimoto.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 19: Naruko's Contempt! Grow Up, Inari!**

**Tazuna's House, Nami no Kuni**

"Ahhhhh!" sighed Naruko as she immersed herself into the hot water of the bath, "Heaven!"

"Gotta agree with Naruko-chan here." Ino sighed from the other side of the bath, "After dealing with a disaster of a mission like our last one, a nice hot bath really hit's the spot."

"What happened on your mission, Ino-pig?" asked Sakura curiously. She and Hinata had already been in the bath and were currently washing off at the side of the small bathroom.

There had been a little tension at the start of the shared bathing session, when Sakura and Ino had seen just how developed Hinata and Naruko were in the bust department.

Fortunately, after Hinata pointed out that Ino was catching up on Naruko rather quickly now that she wasn't starving herself with diets, the two former friends vowed to stay off any diets for the foreseeable future.

"I-I'm not sure we're a-allowed to tell you, Sakura-san." Hinata said apologetically, "The m-mission was upgraded f-from a C-Rank to an S-Rank, so…"

"Kami!" the pinkette exclaimed in shock, "How the hell…?!"

"Bad luck and enemy action." Naruko groused, "Bloody Yanagi Clan. Lucky that my sword could cut those things, otherwise we'd all be as good as dead."

"M-My _**Jūho**_ couldn't affect them effectively." Hinata conceded.

"No kidding." Ino huffed, "Naruko-chan did the lion's share of the ass kicking. We barely had anything to do apart from patch her up when that bastard almost killed her."

"You almost _died_?!" Sakura screeched at Naruko, who winced at the pitch of her friend's voice.

"Inside voice, Sakura-chan." Naruko said, "And yes, I did almost die. But luckily there was someone working against the Yanagi Clan from within who helped me out so I lasted long enough for Anko-sensei and everyone to reach and heal me."

The pinkette gaped at Naruko for a moment before looking at Ino for confirmation. The Yamanaka Heiress nodded once, her face going dark with anger at the memory.

"Yeah, that happened." Ino said bitterly, "And it happened because Naruko-chan played the hero and volunteered to act as a rearguard against an opponent of immense strength."

"H-he was at Elite Jonin-level for certain." Hinata added, sending a disapproving look at Naruko, who flinched back at the censure in Hinata's expression.

"Hey, don't blame that on me!" Naruko protested, "How was I supposed to anticipate that he'd use such a powerful and all encompassing barrier ninjutsu like he did?"

"Point, Naruko-chan." Hinata said reluctantly, "Just take b-better care of yourself, OK?"

Naruko blushed at the concern that she could see in Hinata's pale lavender eyes. "S-sure." she mumbled as she looked away from the Hyuuga Heiress.

Ino frowned as she saw _Naruko_, of all people, acting _bashful_, towards _Hinata_. A complete reversal of the usual situation, which made Ino's heart ache for some strange reason.

"What's up, Pig?" Sakura asked, "Finally realised that Sasuke-kun is too good for you?"

"Take that back, Forehead!" Ino railed at her rival, secretly glad to have something distract her from the odd feelings she was feeling whenever Naruko and Hinata got close. She leapt out of the bath and tackled Sakura, who shrieked in shock and began to fight back.

Fairly soon, the room was filled with the shrieks of four young kunoichi who were acting their age rather than what their responsibility demanded of them for once.

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**With the Jonin…**

"Sounds like those four are enjoying themselves." Kurenai remarked wryly. She was seated at the table sipping a cup of quite good _sencha_ as she allowed herself to relax fractionally for the first time in two days.

Kakashi sat opposite her, sorting through his pouch of ninja tools, which is all he could do since Anko had stolen his precious Icha-Icha Paradise book, as well as the emergency copy of Icha-Icha Beach that he had stashed in case he felt like reading something different…and involving randy, scantily clad women with little to no inhibitions.

"Meh. After what we went through, the girls need some time to unwind." Anko replied. She was sprawled languidly across the sofa, making Tazuna, who was sitting in his armchair, go beet red every time she moved, mostly owing to the fact she was only wearing her mesh armour top.

Suffice is to say, Tsunami had sent Inari to bed rather quickly once the purple haired woman shed her trench coat.

"Mah, mah, letting them have a couple of hours off before we start training them isn't such a big deal." Kakashi said absently as he worked at untangling a length of Ninja Wire from the hoop of a kunai.

Anko raised an eyebrow. "Why? Wasn't Zabuza killed by that Kirigakure Oinin (Hunter Ninja) before you arrived here?" she asked.

Kakashi sighed and set the convoluted mess in his hands down on the table before turning to face Anko.

"Yes he was…or so I thought." he said grimly, "When I came to after my team carried me here, it occurred to me that the circumstances of his 'death' were odd. The Oinin 'killed' him with senbon, which is very, very difficult to do, even for someone like you Anko, an accredited mistress at the art of throwing senbon, and especially when aimed at the throat."

"True." The Snake Mistress admitted, "Fact is, senbon are much better at targeting…the…pressure…points! He was put into a false death state!"

"Precisely" Kakashi nodded, "Meaning that 'Oinin' is a fake and Zabuza's accomplice. If he took that mask from an Oinin himself, we can assume that he is at least High-Chunin level, possibly Tokubetsu Jonin level. That's leaving out the Demon Brothers, who are rated as Mid Chunin separately and High Chunin as a team."

"Whereas we have an Elite Jonin, a regular Jonin, a Tokubetsu Jonin and six Genin." Kurenai said, "Is Zabuza's status as one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist comparable to Konoha's Elite Jonin?"

"Hmmm…" Kakashi pondered that question for a moment, "Status-wise, the Seven Swordsmen are more highly regarded in Kirigakure. Power-wise, I suspect that Zabuza, regardless of his intentions, has become slightly weaker than he once was due to him being a Nuke-nin."

The other shinobi nodded sagely. It was well known that Nuke-nins are generally weaker than Clan Shinobi or Hidden Village Shinobi because Nuke-nin frequently have to be on the move to avoid the Oinin-Butai (Hunter Nin Corps) of any of the Hidden Villages.

"Nevertheless, Zabuza is still a force to be reckoned with." Kakashi continued, "His skill with that oversized butter knife of his is quite amazing and his jutsu are still fairly strong. Just about the only sign of decline is his stamina. He was sweating after using…four or five C-Rank or above Suiton Jutsu, combined with fighting Kiba and Sasuke, followed by one last clash with me using a B-Rank Suiton Jutsu."

"How long will it take for Zabuza to recover from being put in a near death state?" Kurenai asked Anko, who pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"About…a week? If he has someone competent with healing or herbal remedies with him." she guessed.

"And I ought to be fully recovered from overusing my _**Sharingan**_ in about a week as well." Kakashi said.

"You really depend too much on that eye infection of a Kekkei Genkai." Anko observed.

Kakashi gave her an eye-smile. "Mah, the _**Sharingan**_ is just a tool. I only pull it out for really powerful opponents, so my endurance with it isn't as good as it could be, implanted as it is."

Implanted Kekkei Genkai very rarely fully acclimatised to the new host body, sometimes causing the person they were implanted into debilitating pain and/or injuries when they were used. Kakashi was one of the few lucky ones that only received pain if he pushed himself too far while using the _**Sharingan**_.

"So the plan is…what exactly?" Kurenai asked Kakashi impatiently. He was in charge of the mission because he was first on the scene so they had to follow his lead.

"I'll take on Zabuza, you two deal with the accomplice and the genin split themselves between guarding Tazuna and dealing with the Demon Brothers." Kakashi outlined his plan swiftly.

"That...sounds like a bad idea." Anko deadpanned, "Presumably, the accomplice was watching the entire fight between you and Zabuza and told him about the _**Saimingan (Hypnotic Eye)**_ ability of the _**Sharingan**_. Doubtless he'll think of a counter for it."

"It isn't _that_ easy to counter the _**Sharingan**_." Kakashi huffed.

"No, but I can think of a couple of counters a Kirigakure Nuke-nin could use, just off the top of my head." Anko countered, "Nuke-nin or not, Zabuza isn't stupid, not by a long shot."

"He tried to single-handedly assassinate the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura." Kakashi deadpanned, "The Hero of the Kaguya Revolt and the Jinchuruki of the Sanbi no Kyodaigame (Three-Tailed Giant Turtle). He tried to fight him _one on one_. He's an idiot."

"Or desperate." Kurenai said thoughtfully, "A couple of years after the Kaguya Revolt, the Bloodline Purges began. The Clans who possessed any kind of Kekkei Genkai were mercilessly put to the sword. This was weakening the military of Mizu no Kuni and Zabuza is many things, but unpatriotic is not one of them. Maybe that's why he attempted to kill Yagura."

"His motives are a moot point." Kakashi retorted flatly, "Fine then. What would you suggest?"

"I can handle Zabuza's stooge alone. Nai-chan joins you to double team Zabuza himself." Anko proposed, "The Gakis can handle the dumdum brothers no sweat. At least my Gakis can, not too sure about yours."

"My team are perfectly capable of fighting the Demon brothers, thank you very much." the cyclopean Jonin replied stiffly.

"Whatever." Anko replied irrelevantly, "Training starts tomorrow then?"

"Yes." Kakashi said as he returned his attention to his snarled ninja wire.

Kurenai sighed slightly as she saw Anko roll her eyes before the Tokujo rolled over and apparently fell asleep. The Genjutsu Mistress knew that Anko disliked Kakashi's attitude about what to teach his Genin and how much of it, while Kakashi disliked Anko for treating fresh genin as soldiers, feeling that with no war on, there was no need to make them lose their innocence so quickly.

Which position she herself favoured Kurenai wasn't sure. On one hand, genin were honest to kami soldiers in the Konohagakure Military forces, required to fight and die if necessary.

On the other hand, they had only been genin for not even three months. They were only twelve or thirteen years old. It seemed cruel to force the weight of responsibility of taking a life on them at such an age.

'_Then again, life never seems to be fair._' the raven-haired kunoichi thought sadly. She got up and headed towards the room where Tsunami had thrown together a set of futons for them. Considering the friction that Anko and Kakashi had for one another, not to mention Naruko and Sasuke's rivalry, she needed all the sleep she could get.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The Next Day**

**Woodland Clearing, Near Tazuna's House.**

"Right then." Kakashi said, looking at the six genin (and one Ninken) lined up in front of him. Kiba and Akamaru were much improved after whatever it was that Inoichi had done to the boy. Kakashi _still_ couldn't find out what the whole mess with Kiba had been about.

Sasuke had worked himself into the ground after Naruko had defeated the entire team by herself, although that had been cut short when Team 7 had been issued with this mission.

Sakura, Kakashi was glad to see, was looking much better. She had eaten a full breakfast and seemed more energetic than he recalled seeing her since she became a kunoichi.

Hinata had a slight sense of confidence in her stance, which was surprising for those around her to see in the shy girl. Kakashi had heard that she was in the process of mastering the water-alignment _**Juken**_ Style developed by her mother, _**Jūho**_, which probably contributed heavily to the girl's confidence.

Inoichi's daughter had added a ninjatō from somewhere, a prize of battle the cyclopean ninja presumed. Oddly enough, she seemed torn between sneaking peeks at Sasuke and peeking at _Naruko_ for some reason.

Finally, Naruko wore an unusually thoughtful expression on her face, as if she had just been told an important mission of some kind. Kakashi made a mental note to have words with her after training.

"Right then." He repeated, "Well now, while Anko's guarding Tazuna and Kurenai's holding the fort at the house, I am in charge of training you six."

"So, what d'you have in mind Kakashi-sensei?" Naruko asked idly.

Kakashi gave them one of his patented eye-smiles. "Tree climbing." he replied genially.

"Ano…" Hinata looked up at him, with a puzzled expression on her face, "W-we can already do t-the tree climbing exercise."

Kakashi nodded, having expected this. "True, but how well can you perform the exercise?" he asked, "Can you run up and down the tree for ten minutes straight?"

"Yes." Ino replied with a shrug, "Kurenai-sensei is a demon about control exercises."

"If you three can prove that you can do that for me, I'll move you to the next exercise." Kakashi told them. Without further ado, the genin of Team 8 each ran to a nearby tree and ran up the surface of the tree of their choice.

As his own genin gaped in shock, Kakashi casually explained, "The idea of the exercise is to maintain a constant flow of chakra to your feet, adhering yourself to the surface of the tree. Not enough chakra, you fall off, too much chakra and you are pushed away from the tree."

"What good does it do?" Sasuke demanded, "How will climbing trees make us stronger?"

"First, it improves your control." Kakashi began, "Second, if you can channel chakra to your feet, the hardest part of your body to channel chakra to, you can channel it to any part of your body. Third, it increases your reserves slightly as you exhaust and then replenish your chakra. With me so far?"

Sakura nodded, as did Kiba and Akamaru. Sasuke, on the other hand, still looked mulish, making Kakashi sigh internally. Sasuke seriously needed to stop being so obstinate and pigheaded.

"Put simply, the less chakra you use per jutsu, the more jutsu you can use in total." the cyclopean Jonin simplified.

This, to judge by the greedy look crossing his face, Sasuke understood.

"Good. Then you three can begin over there." Kakashi's arm blurred and three kunai were embedded in three separate trees, "Run up the trees until you run low on chakra, rest and repeat. Don't try to emulate these three; they have been at it for over a month, I'd wager."

"Hn." Sasuke didn't look convinced of this, but sauntered over to a tree, pulled out the kunai and looked to Kakashi for instructions, with Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru hurriedly following suit.

Kakashi explained the basic outline of the Tree Walking exercise to the three genin, carefully omitting several tips and tricks to see how they would take failure with such a basic exercise.

Sakura, to his complete lack of surprise, as well as Akamaru, made it up to the top and back fairly quickly. Kiba made it three steps before he was pushed away from the tree. Sasuke only made it a single step when he was flung back from his tree.

"Sakura, Akamaru, good work. Keep going." Kakashi said idly as he mentally bemoaned the lack of his precious Icha-Icha, "Kiba, maintain a steady stream of chakra. Sasuke, stop trying so hard. All you are doing is making it harder to control your chakra. Relax, take a deep breath and let go of your frustration and then try again."

After watching the so-called Rookie of the Year get owned by a tree for a while, Kakashi noted that Team 8 had finished their ten-minute tree-climbing marathon.

"Ah, all finished then?" he asked.

"Yup." Naruko said cockily, "Bring on the next exercise, Kakashi-sensei!"

Chuckling at her enthusiasm, Kakashi created a single _**Kage Bunshin**_ to keep an eye on his genin while he used his crutches to hop along to the nearby jetty that Inari presumably used to fish off of. He had cleared off earlier after sneering at the gathered shinobi.

"Now, the next exercise is a step up from Tree Climbing." Kakashi began, "This exercise is Water Walking. Unlike the surface of a tree, which is a constant, the surface of water in in constant motion, meaning you have to adjust your chakra output equally constantly. Watch."

Kakashi then made a Ram Handsign and stepped out onto the water without his crutches. He wobbled for a moment before returning to shore and took up his crutches again.

"As you can see, being in a slightly debilitating condition has negative affects on this kind of exercise, so that's the closest you'll get to a demonstration." Kakashi said in a slightly breathless voice.

"Take it easy old man." Naruko playfully scolded him, "Last thing I want to have to do is tell Ji-chan you keeled over from exhaustion."

"I am only in my thirties, thank you very much!" Kakashi snapped. He was touchy about his age, having received much teasing for his silver hair throughout his life.

The glare he sent Naruko bounced off of her indifference like water off a ducks back. She only laughed and created an army of _**Kage Bunshin**_ to help her train.

'_She's just as bad as her father was at ignoring my glare._' Kakashi thought ruefully as he watched the Naruko Clones try and fail to walk on water, much to her teammates' amusement.

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Timeskip - Afternoon, After Training**

**The Village of ****Hatō, Nami no Kuni**

Naruko looked around, acting like a tourist, but keeping her senses aware for any sudden moves towards either herself or Tazuna, who she was escorting into the village for a shopping trip.

Kakashi had protested that one of the shinobi would be more than suitable for a shopping trip, right up until Tazuna had pointed out that with Gatō's thugs around, people wouldn't sell to strangers, even cute or sexy girls.

After being lectured by Kurenai, Tazuna had stomped off, with Naruko trotting at his heels. Guarding the bridge builder, who was an old drunk according to Sakura and Kiba, was fairly easy as most people stood aside respectfully for him to pass.

A couple of rough looking characters had leered at her, but had skulked off at the sight of her Hitai-ate. No regular footpad was stupid enough to try and mug a kunoichi, even one as young as she was, without a sufficiently overwhelming amount of numbers at their back.

"This place is awful." Naruko muttered to Tazuna. It was true. The streets were filthy, the buildings covered in crude graffiti, several also having their windows boarded up because a stone had been thrown through the glass. Storefronts were also deserted, with several boarded up.

The people too looked like good days were a thing of the past. Ragged clothing, haggard, haunted expressions on their faces, bodies that were far too thin…the list went on.

"_Gatō_." Tazuna snarled, "He came here about two, two and a half years ago. Bought up all the local shipping companies and created his monopoly. Then he shipped in his thugs, who he calls his 'select security staff'. They started intimidating everybody, beating anyone who stood against them and wrecking their businesses. This is the result."

He swept a hand at the street they were on, "All of this because of one man's greed. I have to finish the bridge, otherwise Nami no Kuni is doomed."

"I understand." Naruko said softly. She looked at some shivering street urchins, unsealed a couple of large blankets, and gave them to the kids, who thanked her profusely.

After she walked back to Tazuna, she continued, "When I was five, I was tossed out of the orphanage. For three months, I lived on the streets of Konoha, barely managing to scrap enough food from one day to the next until my Ji-chan found me and bought me an apartment. He even gave me an allowance from the Orphans and Widows Fund. Nevertheless, I still remember what it was like to like them. Alone, homeless and cold."

Naruko shook her head to dispel the memories that she had just spoken of. She looked at Tazuna with a slightly melancholy smile, who looked surprised that someone who was a shinobi had experienced that kind of thing.

'_I always assumed that ninja and kunoichi came from big clans and were relatively spoiled._' Tazuna thought, '_Looks like even this old dog can learn new tricks._'

Suddenly she froze. Tazuna opened his mouth to speak but a sharp gesture from Naruko made him close it again.

"We're surrounded." Naruko said in an undertone, "Stay near me and let me do the talking."

Tazuna nodded nervously and shuffled closer to his pint-sized protector.

Raising her voice, Naruko called into the now empty street, "Come out. I know you are there. You can't fool a kunoichi this easily."

A dark chuckle came from a nearby ally before a large group of thugs sauntered into the street, about twenty of them. All of them wore ill-fitting clothes that had seen better days and carried unsheathed weapons that were in very bad condition, covered in rust and so severely chipped they looked more like oversized bread knives than katana.

Behind her, Naruko heard the sounds of people moving and presumed that another group of so-called tough men were moving out of another alleyway to try an box them in.

"That's better." Naruko said brightly, "Now then, care to tell me why you people have been following us since we entered the village?"

One man in front of her spoke up. He had bronze skin, wore an eye patch and had his greasy hair pulled back into a ponytail. Cradled in his hands was a rather odd weapon, consisting of a long shaft of wood with a long chain on one end. At the end of the chain was a thick lump of metal covered in inch long spikes. A chigiriki.

"We'll be taking the old fart, brat. Clear off if ya don't want ta be sold as a sex slave by Gatō when we hand over the bridge builder." he sneered at the two standing between his gang.

Rolling her eyes, Naruko replied, in a condescending tone, "Do you really think that we would send our client out with just a _single_ guard, you idiot!"

The man looked stupefied for a moment, and then a voice shouted from behind him, "_**Gatsūga!**_"

Naruko grabbed Tazuna and leapt onto the roof just in time to dodge Kiba and Akamaru slamming through the thugs like a hot knife through butter. Surprisingly, the leader also leaped onto the same roof as Naruko.

"You've had chakra training." Naruko remarked, "Failed genin candidate?"

"Shut up you little brat!" he roared and began swinging his chigiriki around his head. Naruko sighed and made three Shadow Clones to guard Tazuna before drawing a pair of kunai and running at the man.

"Hah!" the man sneered, "What can _those_ little things do?!"

He swung the mace like weapon at Naruko with a roar. Waiting until the last second, the Uzumaki Heiress dodged to the side, the spiked head of the chigiriki slamming onto the roof.

Reacting quickly, Naruko followed up by flipping herself over the thug's head and sinking both kunai into where she knew his kidneys were. The man stiffened for a moment before falling to his knees with a grunt, his weapon clattering from his nerveless hands.

"Don't you know?" Naruko asked the dying man, "It's not what you've got; it's how you use it."

Casting her eyes down to the street, Naruko saw that Kiba and his ninken puppy had taken the forty-odd thugs to the cleaners with gratuitous use of _**Jūjin Taijutsu**_ and the _**Gatsūga**_.

"Yo! You finished up there?" Kiba called as he finished trussing up the last of the thugs in rope.

"Yep." Naruko replied and kicked the now dead man off the roof before gesturing at her clones to help Tazuna down. He was staring at her in shock as she jumped to the ground in front of him.

"Y-you killed him…you killed a man over twice your age in less than a minute!" he gobbled at her.

"Calm down, Tazuna-san." Naruko said calmingly, "I realise that this is a less than pleasant happenstance, but I assure you that it was necessary."

"Why? Your friend here just kicked the stuffing out of the rest of them." Tazuna pointed out, gesturing at the bruised and battered bandits scattered around the street.

"Because that man had been given training to unlock his chakra and in using chakra to enhance his muscles." Naruko explained, "While not an especially advanced use of chakra, it does mean that he has been given more than a little training, enough to worry me about what else he knew. I had to take him out before he could pull anything else, like a fireball or something."

"Like that grumpy kid can do?" Tazuna asked, remembering the large fireball Sasuke had used during the journey to Nami no Kuni against the Demon Brothers.

"Exactly. Now then…" Naruko knelt down next to the corpse and searched through the pockets of its clothing before saying, "Aha!"

Naruko drew out a piece of metal emblazoned with a pair of overlapping clouds, the symbol of Kumogakure no Sato. Kiba growled when he saw it, Akamaru joining in as well.

"Looks like this guy came from Kaminari no Kuni." Naruko said with a raised eyebrow, "That's odd, because Nuke-nins from Kumogakure tend to display their former allegiances proudly. More to the point, this guy wasn't anything special. He was barely at Low-Genin, if that.

He was strong enough to dominate a group of toughs like this, but not any kind of serious threat to a shinobi, not even a fresh genin. Not only that, the hitai-ate plat I found isn't scratched through like a Nuke-nin's usually is."

"Why is that important?" Tazuna asked curiously.

"Nuke-nins scratch a single line through the symbol of their former village to indicate they have broken away from them both physically and symbolically." Naruko explained, "ALL Nuke-nin do this, not just one or two. The fact he didn't scratch it means one of two things; One, he stole it from a Kumogakure ninja, which is unlikely in the extreme."

Kiba snorted. "Definitely. Kumo may be a bunch of cowardly bastards, but they have just as much pride as shinobi that the rest of us do."

"To lose the symbol of their village would be one of the most humiliating things possible for any shinobi, which is one reason why they are displayed in such easily seen places like the forehead." Naruko filled in Tazuna, who nodded his head sagely.

"The second reason for this…isn't one I'm comfortable explaining in an open place like this." Naruko continued, stuffing the plate into a pocket and taking out a scroll. Unrolling it, she laid it down on the ground, placed the dead body atop it, and sealed it away, "Let's get the shopping done and beat feet back to Tazuna-san's home. The Sensei needs to hear this."

**LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL**

**Timeskip - Twenty Minutes later**

**Tazuna's House**

"No, I don't recognise him." Kakashi replied as he scrutinised the corpse that Naruko had unsealed, "He isn't in Konoha's latest Bingo Book, nor has he been in the past decade."

All of the Shinobi were gathered in the back garden examining the corpse Naruko brought back with her.

"He definitely had chakra training?" Kurenai asked.

"Yeah. He jumped only a second after me to avoid Kiba and Akamaru's _**Gatsūga**_." Naruko replied, "He leapt at least two meters onto the roof of a nearby shop that I had landed on. No ordinary man could accomplish that."

"OK so we know that he had chakra training, that he wasn't in the Bingo Book and that he had a Kumogakure Hitai-ate plate with him." Anko said with a frown.

"Naruko, you said that you have an idea of what this is all about?" Kurenai prodded her.

"Yes, although I need a couple of things confirmed first." Naruko thought for a moment, "First, how strenuous is the Kumogakure Genin Exam?"

"Considerably more difficult than ours." Kakashi replied, "We value teamwork above all, whereas Kumo values physical strength or Kekkei Genkai abilities, although they have precious few of the latter. The Genin in Kumo have to either pass a physical endurance test or show sufficient aptitude in the basic abilities of their Kekkei Genkai, in addition to the usual written exam and the basic _**Kawarimi**_/_**Henge**_/_**Bunshin**_ test."

"So there are a fair few who don't have bloodline abilities and fail the first test?" Naruko asked for clarification.

"Only twenty percent of those who take the Kumo Genin Test actually succeed in passing it." Kakashi confirmed, "If they fail, they are only allowed to try one more time before being ejected from the academy."

"Harsh." Naruko remarked, "My guess is this then: what if, instead of throwing out the ones who fail the test a second time, Kumo uses them as auxiliaries of a sort? Sends them out to gather lowlifes and toughs in other countries and cause trouble there?"

The three jonin looked startled at the thought, then thoughtful.

"It does fit in with how Kumo usually operates." Anko mused, "Low, sneaky and underhanded, even for shinobi."

"It makes the best use of their resources as well." Kakashi pointed out, "While the failure rate is higher in Kumo, the classes are smaller, only ten per class. They don't have nearly as many people in Kaminari no Kuni as we have in Hi no Kuni, despite the fact the counties are roughly of similar size. They can't afford to waste people just because of their own stupid graduation tests."

"I'll bet the one who came up with this is the Sandaime Raikage." Anko said, honey coloured eyes glittering, "He was a cunning old man, despite the fact he was a muscle head. He was also a penny pincher, so the idea of a demi-ninja auxiliary that officially didn't exist and was paid for by their own actions would have appealed to him quite a bit."

"I'll send a report to Hokage-sama tonight." Kakashi said, resealing the corpse and rolling up the scroll, "I'll send this as well so Inoichi can take a stroll around his mind. Anko, do you and Kurenai want to send your preliminary reports of your own mission along as well?"

"Sure. That would be convenient." Kurenai answered, "Naruko, good work, although capturing him alive would have been preferable."

"Sorry." Naruko apologised bashfully, "I saw a threat to my client and moved to neutralise it."

"Understandable, but a bit of restraint never hurts." Kurenai lectured.

"Nai-chan, she was up against someone who was a complete unknown to her." Anko interjected, "Remember what happened the _last_ time she faced someone of unknown abilities? It's only natural to overreact like she did with the next person who was a potential threat that she had little to no idea what he was capable of."

"A good point." Kurenai conceded.

"Now, Tsunami-san has dinner ready, so let's eat now and then you Genin can do independent training…those of you who aren't on guard duty." Kakashi said, shooing the genin towards the house.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Master Bedroom, Zabuza's Hideout, Undisclosed Location, Nami no Kuni**

The bedroom was spartan, having little more than a bed, a chair and a couple of tables. Not that someone in the room would be focussing on the furnishings.

They would be focussing on the man sprawled on the bed.

He was a tall man who had obviously trained himself into the ground as one could tell from his muscled body. Yet he was not overly muscled like a strongman or body builder. Rather, his musculature more resembled those of a well-trained athlete, built for endurance and flexibility.

One hand was idly toying with the handle of a sword almost as tall as he was, a great cleaver that looked like an oversized butcher's knife. He had no eyebrows and, despite being in bed, still wore baggy trousers and arm warmers in the vertical stripes pattern common in Kirigakure no Sato.

The room's door opened and a pale androgynous youth with long brown hair walked in, wearing a pink sleeveless kimono and carrying a bowl of medicine.

Zabuza, who had tensed up as the door opened, relaxed as he recognised his visitor.

"Haku." he greeted the interloper gruffly, his shark-like teeth glinting in the lamplight as he spoke.

"Zabuza-san. How are you feeling today?" the person now identified as Haku responded, a gentle smile directed at the gruff ninja.

"I feel like I've been run over by a herd of randy horses, then thrown into ice melt." Zabuza replied.

"So, better then?" Haku surmised.

Zabuza growled slightly. "_Yes_. Yesterday, I _only_ felt like death warmed over _and then _set upon by a crowd of bodybuilders with lead pipes!"

Sarcasm dripped from his words, far past the point of rudeness, but Haku ignored it, instead setting the bowl on the bedside table and unwrapping the bandages around Zabuza's neck, revealing a pair of small puncture wounds.

"These seem to be healing well." Haku murmured, "They ought to be gone in three days if I apply a fresh poultice every night."

"Fine." Zabuza grumped, "But when the hell will my body get back to normal? I can't even walk!"

"Ah, well, that is an excellent question, Zabuza-san." Haku replied with a mysterious smile, "If I do nothing, I would wager another week at least. However, if I go to pick some special herbs that are unique to Nami no Kuni and create another medicinal compound, I could have you back to normal by the end of the week."

"Get the herbs." Zabuza instructed flatly, "The last thing I want is to give that short-arsed prick any reason to stiff me of any part of my fee."

"Very well." Haku nodded, "It will have to be tomorrow though, as I have already made up some standard medicine for you today."

"Fah. Very well." Zabuza huffed and he his hand out in a very resigned manner for the bowl, which Haku promptly passed to him. The Kirigakure Nuke-nin gulped the medicine down quickly and then pulled a face.

"Geh! Why is it every medicine you make tastes like someone's unwashed feet dipped in skunk spray?" he asked.

"I can't _think_ why." Haku deadpanned.

Zabuza glared at Haku for a moment before chuckling. "Heh. For a girl, you have some big balls, Haku."

"They're called breasts, Zabuza-san." Haku replied.

"And again with that!" Zabuza shook his head, "I told you, I don't need to hear stuff like that!"

"Zabuza-san, I am your tool. Use me as you see fit." Haku told him simply before picking up the empty bowl and walking out the door.

The Demon of the Bloody Mist sighed and lay back on the bed. This commission was getting more and more irritating. First, he had to put up with that irritating midget, Gatō, barking orders at him morning, noon and night, then he has his ass handed to him by 'Sharingan' Kakashi, the infamous Copy Ninja.

Zabuza knew the tales of his heroic exploits during the Third Great Shinobi War, but had expected some of them to be exaggerations or falsehoods. Things were exaggerated in war after all.

With Kakashi, some of them had not been exaggerations. Zabuza would go so far as to say that some of the stories had _underestimated_ the man's prowess with ninjutsu severely. That thrice-be-damned eye had seen everything he was going to do before he had even thought of it.

Thankfully, Haku had been watching and told him of how the entirety of the fight had looked from her perspective, allowing him to deduce how Kakashi had manipulated him and to form a counterstrategy.

After all, you couldn't hypnotise what you couldn't see, right?

The Demon Brothers had been snooping around in the main village today and had spotted two Konoha Genin take down about forty bandits and one of the Kumogakure 'hidden ninja auxiliaries' that had been pouring out of Kaminari no Kuni for over twenty years.

Zabuza snorted in contempt. All of the Hidden Villages were blissfully unaware that quite a few bandit problems, gang wars and civil insurgencies in their own lands were caused by Kumo's hidden daggers.

Anyway, one of them was female and didn't match the description of the weak pink haired genin kunoichi in Kakashi's squad. Zabuza had surmised that this meant Kakashi had called in reinforcements, probably another genin team if the girl was one of them, as both Gōzu and Meizu had confirmed she wore no chunin vest.

This meant three more brats and another Jonin to deal with, but Zabuza was confident of victory. He would take care of Kakashi, Haku would deal with the other Jonin and they'd both deal with the brats after the bridge builder was dead.

A sinister smile crept across Zabuza's face as he thought, '_And after I get paid, I'll cut that pathetic excuse for a man Gatō in half, along with his two 'samurai bodyguards', just for the way he dares to speak to me._'

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**The Next Day**

**The Clearing Near Tazuna's House**

The next day's training session was eventful, as well as educational.

Eventful in that Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru were deemed by Kakashi to have mastered Tree Climbing as good as could be expected for the moment and were then moved on to Water Walking with Team 8.

It was educational in that all the genin present learned a fair amount of harsh language when Sasuke started swearing at Kakashi for leaving him practicing a 'useless exercise like this' and 'advancing those beneath him ahead of him'.

Kakashi had replied, rather mildly, that the Last Uchiha had only managed ten steps up a tree, which was by no means sufficient progress. He suggested that Sasuke, once again, let go of his frustration and anger and focus purely on the exercise.

Sasuke replied with more swearing and cursing.

"Wow." remarked Naruko, "Where'd he learn all those curses? Mikoto-san would wash his mouth out with soap if she heard him saying any of those words."

"Who's Mikoto?" asked Ino as she tried, yet again, to walk on the water.

"Sasuke's Kaa-san." Naruko replied as she watched her clones alternately tread water and wobble atop the waves, "She helped me out a couple of times before the Massacre."

"WHAT?!" Ino and Sakura yelped, both of them losing control of their chakra and plunging into the water yet again, making Naruko and Hinata giggle. Swearing under their breath, the two rivals clawed their way above the water's surface and looked at Naruko sceptically.

"Prove that you know Sasuke-kun's mother!" Sakura challenged.

The Uzumaki Heiress shrugged before making a small series of handsigns.

"_**Henge no Jutsu!**_" she commanded as she disappeared in a cloud of chakra smoke, being replaced with another woman. She had long black hair and black eyes and was dressed in blue shinobi sandals, a dark purple blouse, a purple skirt and a yellow apron.

Giving Ino and Sakura a kind smile, Naruko-Mikoto said, "Hey there girls. I'm Uchiha Mikoto, wife of the Clan Head of the Uchiha, Fugaku. Nice to meet you."

"DOBE!" Sasuke screamed. He had been frozen for a moment, paralyzed by the sight of his mother. Now he was stomping towards the kunoichi with a look of pure hatred on his face.

Naruko released the transformation and looked at Sasuke indifferently as she asked, "What's crawled up your butt, teme?"

"How _dare_ you take on my mother's form?!" Sasuke spat at her, "How dare you!"

"Calm it, teme." Naruko said with an eye roll, "Tell you what, to make it fair, I'll show you what my Kaa-san looked like. _**Henge no Jutsu!**_"

Another cloud of chakra smoke covered Naruko and cleared this time to reveal an older, redheaded version of Naruko wearing a Jonin's vest and no scar marks on her cheeks.

"Yo there kiddo!" the woman greeted a gaping Sasuke, "I'm Uzumaki Kushina-'ttbane!"

"K-K-Kushina-see-san?!" Kakashi yelped. He was, rather amusingly, shaking at the sight of Naruko's mother.

"Kakashi-kun." Naruko-Kushina frowned at the cyclopean Jonin, "What's this I hear about you passing out from exhaustion against Momochi Zabuza?"

"Eh! Ah, did I?" Kakashi looked rather pale as he answered.

"When was the last time you did the exercise regime I made for you?" Kushina demanded.

"I-I can't quite recall…" Kakashi said nervously.

"Honestly!" Kushina tsked, "Run four laps around the island and then do the exercise regime. Now!"

"B-But Nee-san-" Kakashi tried to protest.

"Kakashi-kun…are you _arguing_ with me?" Kushina asked slowly, an intimidating aura appearing around her as she spoke.

"Nonononononononono!" Kakashi said hurriedly, sweat dribbling down his forehead, "Never! Not me!"

"Then why aren't you running?" Kushina pointed out sweetly, the intimidating aura still present.

"Goodbye-I'm-gone!" Kakashi said hurriedly and practically flew out of the clearing at breakneck speed.

Naruko dispelled the jutsu and began rolling on the ground laughing her head off. Team 7 gaped at her in astonishment, unable to believe the sight that they had just witnessed.

"Dobe…What. The. Hell?" Sasuke asked, his voice full of a mixture of incredulity and awe.

"M-My mother helped the Yondaime train Kakashi-sensei's team-dattebayo!" Naruko chortled, "They all learned not to get on her bad side. After Kakashi-sensei got the _**Sharingan**_, Kaa-san made an exercise regime for him that combined physical routines with special chakra exercises to improve the alignment between him and the implanted _**Sharingan**_. To quote from my mother's diary, 'He'll get better or **else** by the time I'm through with him 'ttbane!'"

By this time, Ino, Sakura, Hinata and Kiba were all chortling. Even Sasuke had a small smile, although he did his best to hide it as Kakashi stomped back into the clearing.

"You." the scarecrow pointed at a blatantly unrepentant Naruko, "Are a devious, _evil_ little minx who comes from a very scary woman. How the _hell _did you imitate Kushina-nee-san so well. I couldn't tell the difference."

"I've read her diaries and spoken to people who knew her, like Ino-chan's dad." Naruko replied, "I actually practiced with Ji-chan until I got it just right."

The red-clad kunoichi smothered another giggling fit as she remembered the last practice session she and the Hokage had had. He had turned white and gibbered when she -as her mother- had asked exactly what he planned to do about the Academy staff that had mistreated Naruko over the years.

Kakashi sighed. "Regardless of the fact it was a prank, you did make a good point when you told me to do my exercises." he admitted, "I haven't done them in years, and that is part of the reason why I collapsed."

"Well then get to training then…Kakashi-kun." Naruko mock scolded him, eliciting more laughs from her fellow Genin.

"Why do you bother?" an angry voice asked. The shinobi turned to see Inari standing nearby, his fishing rod held in one hand and leaning against his shoulder.

"Sorry kid, could you be a bit more specific?" Naruko asked politely.

"You can't beat Gatō." Inari stated, "He's too strong."

"That guy is a midget with a superiority complex." Naruko snorted, "He has money, which can, I'll grant you, buy power, but _other people's _power, not his own."

"Doesn't matter. He'll kill you none the less." Inari stated and walked away angrily.

"Man, what is that kid's problem?" Ino said irritably.

"He saw his stepfather murdered by Gatō." Kakashi said soberly, "There was once a man who moved here from Umi no Kuni called Kaiza. He was a migrant fisherman, but settled down here and married Tsunami-san. Inari-kun loved him as if he was his real father. All of Hatō Village loved him.

During a bad storm four years ago, one of the dam's gates keeping the water back were going to collapse and flood the village. Kaiza-san single-handedly held them together until the worst of the storm passed. They called him 'Nami no Kuni no Eiyū' (The Hero of Wave Country).

When Gatō came, Kaiza-san tried to stop him. Gatō had his thugs cut off his arms, crucify him and beat him to death. Inari-kun was forced to watch every second of it. Ever since, Inari-kun hasn't believed in heroes or that Gatō can be defeated."

The genin looked sickened by what Gatō had done. All eyes turned to Naruko when she snorted in disgust.

"Little coward." she said with an angry shake of her head.

"G-Gatō?" Hinata asked.

"NO!" Naruko yelled, "That damn little brat! Arrgh! I can't focus! I'm going to blow off some steam! I'll be back for dinner."

With that, Naruko stormed off into the forest.

Kakashi understood why Naruko was angry with Inari; he had lost hope, given in and cried when his father died. He didn't even try to move forwards, even when he had so much to live for.

Naruko, on the other hand, had lived in a far worse situation than Inari could imagine and had decided, one day, that enough was enough. She never gave up or cried publicly from that day onwards.

"Back to practice you six!" Kakashi chivvied the genin back to their training, mentally reminding himself to set a time to do his own exercises once he had finished dinner.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - Late Afternoon**

**Dining/Sitting Room, Tazuna's House**

Hinata threw a glance at Naruko furtively. Her friend had arrived back at the house half an hour previously, fairly tired and low on chakra (by Naruko's standards). Inari had been glaring at the Uzumaki Heiress ever since she sat down.

'_Ohhh…what should I do?_' Hinata fretted as she slowly ate, her eyes flicking between Naruko, who had noticed the death-glare Inari was giving her and was reciprocating, and Inari, who was trembling with suppressed anger.

Anko and Kurenai were also keeping a weather eye on the situation and were not happy about this. Kurenai wished Naruko would hurry up and finish her food before Inari exploded. Anko was irritated that the brat was taking his own insecurities out on Naruko and was tempted to wrap the brat in snakes to teach him a lesson.

Finally, Inari reached the point where he could no longer contain himself. He leapt to his feet and yelled at the gathered shinobi in a loud voice, full of anger, fear and insecurity. He was practically parading his neurosis to everybody in the room.

"Why do you guys bother to try so hard?! No matter how hard you train, you're still no match for Gatō's men! No matter what glorious claims you make or how hard you work, the weak will only end up getting killed!" he shouted at them all, but glared at Naruko in particular.

When Tsunami made to speak, Naruko raised her hand to stop her. "Tsunami-san, let me deal with this." she said softly, "I believe Inari-kun and I need to have a talk."

When Tsunami subsided, Naruko turned her full attention on Inari, who was looking slightly apprehensive at having Naruko's eyes, which were now ice cold with anger, focussed upon him.

Then she gave him an equally cold smile.

"Does it _feel good_, Inari-kun?" she asked softly, "Does lashing out at every_one_ and every_thing_ within speaking difference make you feel _better_ about yourself?"

"WHAT DO YOU KNOW!?" Inari screamed, "You haven't the _least_ idea about how much I've suffered!"

"Very true." Naruko acknowledged, much to everyone's surprise, "Then again, _you_ know nothing about _my_ suffering, _my_ pain, _my_ sorrow."

Inari scoffed. "What suffering could someone as easy going and carefree as you have gone through?" he snarled.

"Ah, an _excellent_ question." Naruko purred, "You're…what, eight, right now?" At Inari's hesitant nod, Naruko's cold smile widened slightly.

"Then here is what I propose: we start when we were born and work our way forwards, naming all the points where we have suffered, stopping at the age of eight. Sounds fair?" Naruko said with quiet authority.

When Inari hesitated, Naruko added, "The winner chooses the loser's punishment."

This prodded Inari into agreeing with a glaring nod.

"Good, good…I'll kick things off shall I?" Naruko asked politely. When Inari nodded, Naruko thought for a moment and said, "When I was an hour old, my mother sacrificed herself in order to help the Yondaime Hokage defeat the mighty Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Every genin gaped at Naruko in shock, but Inari looked puzzled.

"The what?"

"The Kyuubi i-_was_ a massive chakra construct the size of a mountain." Kakashi explained to the three clueless civilians, "One swipe of its tails called forth natural disasters, and our strongest ninjutsu were like fleabites to it. Only my sensei, the Yondaime Hokage, and Naruko's mother, Uzumaki Kushina, were strong enough to face and defeat it twelve years ago."

"The stress of having just given birth combined with the malevolent chakra of the Kyuubi and the drain of the Jutsu she used to hold the demon fox down was what killed her." Naruko added, speaking the cover story given to her to tell those of her generation on why her mother died, "So, from one perspective, it was partially my fault that my mother died."

This statement led to several protestations from all of the Konoha Shinobi. Once they settled down, Naruko turned to a shocked Inari and asked, "So…anything in your first year? No? Second? Third? I have nothing for those, but I do have something from when I was four. Want to hear it?"

At the numb nod from Inari, Naruko began her tale.

"I had gone for a walk in the park and ended up being chased by a ravening, drunken mob. They chased me halfway across Konoha before one of them tossed a brick at me, hitting me on the leg knocking me to the ground. They then beat into me near unconsciousness. Only the timely intervention of the ANBU saved my life and I still had to spend a week in hospital to recover from the injuries I received."

The faces around her were pale in horrified shock, aside from Kakashi. His face was merely stoic, totally locked down and totally devoid of all emotion. Anko was trembling with rage, as were Ino, Sakura and Hinata to a lesser degree.

"So…anything happen at four for you?" Naruko asked politely. Inari shook his head slowly.

"Well then on to the age of five…" Naruko said with a patently fake smile, "Just after I turned five, I was thrown out of the orphanage for the last time -I'd been thrown out three or four times in the previous year- and I had to live rough on the streets for three months. During that time, I was lucky to get a handful of rotten food per day. I wore whatever rags I could find and I had to hide several times from drunks hunting me down at night."

Tazuna closed his eyes painfully. To hear it outlined broadly in public was one thing, but to hear some of the details was more painful than he might have imagined. Ino and Sakura were openly crying, Hinata only just holding the tears back.

"Anything at five, Inari?" Naruko asked.

"M-my tōsan w-was tortured a-and killed by Gatō's t-thugs in front of the entire village." Inari said, stuttering as tears started to fill his eyes.

"Yes…that was rather a rough spot for you I'm sure." Naruko said dryly, "Anything at six? No? Well then, seven."

Naruko smiled faintly, with a mild mocking lilt to it. "This is where things get interesting. I was walking back to my apartment after doing a spot of shopping when a man in black with a red and white fan design chases me into an ally and stabs me in the abdomen."

"An _Uchiha!?_" Sasuke gasps.

"Yep, one of your clan, Teme." Naruko agrees, "Here's the interesting part. Just after he stabbed me, a pair of ninjatō behead the man from behind. Two ANBU saved my life, one wearing a weasel mask, the other wearing a bird mask. A week later, the Uchiha Clan is all but wiped out by the ANBU who wore the weasel mask: Uchiha Itachi."

"N-Nii-san…saved your life…?!" Sasuke was in shock.

"Yep." Naruko nodded, "The other ANBU was 'Shunshin no Shisui' (Shisui of the Body Flicker), the first to fall to Itachi as part of his purge. So then Inari-kun, anything happen to you at seven?"

Inari, once again, shook his head.

"Well, nothing happened to me at eight, so what about this year? Has anything made you suffer this year…Inari-kun." Naruko asked.

"N…No…" Inari mumbled.

"I see." Naruko said evenly, "So then, who wins this little game Inari-kun?"

"Y…You do." Inari said softly.

"Good. What I would like you to do, as my prize for winning, is this then: stop disgracing your father's memory. He fought and _died_ to try and rid you of a tyrant." Naruko said flatly, "Every day that you have lashed out and given up hope is one more victory for Gatō. You have a lot to live and hope for. You have a _mother_ who loves you and makes sure that you have clean clothes and food; you have a _grandfather_ who loves you and is doing everything he can to undermine the tyrant's power. Grow _up_, Inari. Crying gets you nowhere fast."

Finishing her speech, Naruko got up and walked to the door, only stopping when Inari spoke up.

"How…how can you keep going? After all that?" he asked, "How can you still laugh, smile and tease people? I don't understand…"

Naruko turned her head to regard Inari quietly for a moment, then said, "Because I…am _still alive_. As long as I am alive, I can _fight_. As long as I can fight, I have _hope_. And as long as I have hope, I can _never_ give up!"

She kicked the door open and ran into the night. A blur passed in front of the occupants of the table, resolving itself as Hinata running after Naruko.

"You two, sit yer butts down." Anko ordered harshly when Ino and Sakura made as if to follow their friends.

"Was…was she telling the truth?" Tsunami asked, tears flowing down her cheeks, "Did all of that…horrible stuff actually happen to her?"

"It did." Kakashi said sombrely, "I was one of the ANBU who extracted Naruko from that mob when she was five. After she was safely in hospital, I hunted down and killed every person not in custody who was responsible for that attack on her. She did omit that the nurse tried to poison her IV, although I'm not certain she knows about that incident."

"How…how can people _treat her like that?!_" Ino raged, angry tears falling from her face, "How can anybody do _that_ to a little girl?!"

"What I want to know is why no-one has done anything about it." Sakura said angrily, "Okaa-san is on the civilian portion of the council and she hasn't said anything about such things happening in Konoha!"

"That's because, where Naruko is concerned, the Hokage has mass civil unrest." Kakashi replied, "He tells them to leave her alone, which they pay lip-service to and then go off and plot how to either kill her or drive her from the village. Your mother, Sakura-chan, is one of the few members of the civilian council who do not try and aid these people in their efforts."

"This is because those idiot civilians think Naruko-chan is the Kyuubi reborn, isn't it?" Ino asked as she angrily dashed her tears away.

"Basically, yes." Anko said, a scowl still covering her face from hearing what she was certain was only the highlights of Naruko's life, "She was the only child born that day, so they automatically assumed that she was the fox reborn. Hokage-sama wouldn't kill a child though, especially not the last of the Uzumaki."

"The civilians are stupid fools." Sasuke said bluntly, "Anyone with common sense would see that they are talking nonsense. Idiots and fools, the lot of them."

"Not all of them Sasuke." Kakashi corrected him, "Councilwoman Haruno has been doing her best to mitigate the interference of the other council members in Naruko's daily life for years now. Sakura is of civilian origin and she sees Naruko for who she is."

Kiba spoke up then, his voice unusually grim, "What I can't get over is how, despite everything she's been through, she can declare that she'll be Hokage with such…confidence. Anyone else wouldn't dream of becoming leader of a village that hates them, so why does she?"

Kakashi sighed and said, "One day, in the past, she decided it for some reason. Hokage-sama knows why, but refuses to tell me. It was after she was almost killed by that Uchiha clansman, so I can guess a couple of the reasons."

He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice grim. "Naruko is the very last member of the Uzumaki Clan's Main Branch. The rest were killed by an alliance of Kiri, Kumo and Iwa at the start of the Third Great Shinobi War. Ordinarily, she would be required to marry and…_produce_…the next generation of Uzumaki."

He spoke circumspectly because Inari was still here.

"Unfortunately," he continued, "the Uchiha that stabbed her used a special hollowed out tantō that injected a poison into her body…directly into her womb. The med-nins were able to extract most of it, but some remains there to this very day. The poison would kill any foetus before they fully form, meaning Naruko is _truly_ alone, in a way that Sasuke, who is also the last of his clan, is not. The Uzumaki Clan _ends_ with her."

"That's…that's _awful!_" Sakura exclaimed, eyes wet with fresh tears. The very thought of that happening to her was sickening. How _Naruko_ must feel…

"It is." Kakashi agreed, "And the Hokage told me that one of the hardest things he had ever had to do was to explain this to her. The poison _could_ be extracted fully…but the likelihood she would be totally sterilised is far too high, _unless_ the person performing the operation is Tsunade of the Sannin, Naruko's cousin, but she hasn't been in Konoha in decades, so the chances are not very high of that happening."

"That poor girl…" Tsunami said, glancing at Inari. He was her pride and joy, the one remnant of her first husband who had died at sea. The thought of not being able to have her son made her physically ill.

"Naruko moped about for about a month, before she started declaring she would be Hokage one day." Kakashi continued, "The reason is simple: she wishes to ensure that, as long as Konoha exists, her name will not be forgotten. She cannot give up on that, if only to spite those who would see her dead.

She has, from all accounts, thrown herself into training since she discovered she is from a Clan. This, I would guess, is a sign of her determination not to let her Clan be forgotten either. She is so determined to ensure that her Clan be remembered that she keeps advancing in pursuit of her goal, never allowing fear or despair to halt her progress."

Kakashi turned his attention fully on Inari and said, "When Naruko looks at you Inari, she sees the part of herself that she cast aside years ago. When she cried herself to sleep at night, when she didn't leave her apartment for days on end, when she had given up. She likely told you to stop crying because it is what she has been telling herself for years; that sitting crying and bemoaning her lot in life is a pointless thing to do and that if you do nothing, nothing will ever change."

The kitchen was silent as the occupants absorbed this information.

Kurenai and Anko looked solemn as their student's motivations were laid at least partially open for them.

Ino was still fuming about how her friend was treated by the people she was sworn to protect. The life Naruko had lead before she had met Ino had been something she had never fully disclosed…now Ino knew why.

'_When I get back to Konoha, I am sooooo going to have a talk with Daddy about this. It can't be allowed to go on!_' Ino thought and immediately began plotting revenge on those who tried to hurt one of her friends.

Sakura was staring at the wall, thinking similar thoughts to Ino. Of course, her thoughts were…somewhat _louder_ than her rival's.

'_{Shannaro! I'll beat the crap out of them for doing that to Naruko-chan! Cha!}_' Inner Sakura summed up her Outer Self's thoughts quite nicely.

Kiba and Sasuke were quietly thinking about everything they had heard. Sasuke was facing the difficult realisation that yes, someone had indeed lived a worse life than he had. Kiba was contemplating what he should tell his mother about this, as she had ordered him not to interfere with kunoichi until and unless she said so, but this…Naruko was a packmate of Konoha. What she had suffered was wrong.

On reflection, Kiba decided to tell his mother everything, then sit back, and watch her tear those responsible into shreds. It would be fun watching someone _else_ get it in the neck from her for a change.

The civilians all looked shell-shocked by Naruko's revelations. Tazuna was staring into space, grimly determined that if that girl could take that kind of abuse and not give up, _he_ damn well wasn't going to be browbeaten by Gatō or his thugs come hell or high water.

Tsunami was wracked with pity for Naruko. Lost her mother after only being born for an hour, beaten almost to death, almost assassinated…she had endured such awful things in the first eight years of her life. The young mother realised that Naruko had deliberately stopped at Inari's own age so as not to show her friends how bad her life had been after that point, presumably having met and befriended them at that point.

Inari sat in his seat, almost completely numb. His entire viewpoint on life for the last two and a half years had just been thrown completely into doubt in the space of five minutes by a complete stranger.

He had never doubted that it had been his stepfather's fault for dying and leaving Nami in Gatō's grasping hands, but the way the red-clad kunoichi had described her mother doing something similar, while she had been sad, she had also been proud.

Why? Proud that her mother had fought something that no human should be able to fight? Proud that she had aided the leader of the village in defeating it? Why…

When he voiced the question, Kakashi replied, "She was proud that her mother had fought to the end like a true kunoichi, like a true _Uzumaki_. All those who are shinobi wear our hitai-ate in the full knowledge that the possibility of dying in the line of duty is there. Once a shinobi, always a shinobi, regardless of whether you are retired or on maternity leave.

To quote Jiraya of the Sannin, it is not the way you _live_ that matters in the shinobi world, it is the manner of your _death_. Kushina-nee-san fought the demon fox, despite knowing she would never see her daughter grow up. Most people would choose to spend what little time they had left with their newborn daughter, but Kushina-nee-san was a kunoichi, who knew full well where her duty lay. She died as a splendid shinobi, which is something for Naruko to be very proud of."

Silence fell once more, until Kurenai cleared her throat, "Yes well, I think we had better help Tsunami-san clear all these dishes away and then get settled down into our individual training. _No-one _is to go looking for Hinata or Naruko."

She added the last part in a stern manner, making Ino look indignant.

"They're my teammates!" the Yamanaka Heiress protested, "I have to see if Naruko's alright!"

Anko gave her an amused knowing look that made Ino flush red for some reason and the blond kunoichi fell silent.

"Now that that's settled, jump to it." Anko said, clapping her hands for emphasis. Ino got up and gathered several plates and stomped unhappily in the direction of the kitchen, followed by Sasuke and Kiba. Tsunami wandered after them, not carrying any plates as the three genin were carrying them all.

Inari ran out of the room and clumped up the stairs, while Tazuna settled in his armchair and swigged a bottle of sake while he looked out at the roiling sea through the window.

"Well well, Nai-chan." Anko said in an undertone, "This is…unexpected. You letting your daughter-in-all-but-blood be alone with the girl she's had a crush on for years whilst said crush is in a fragile state of mind…she might confess her feelings, y'know."

Kurenai sighed. "As you have repeatedly told me, I have no right to impress my personal morality on my genin, regardless of who it is about. If Naruko is who Hinata wants, I will not interfere. Besides, it might just be extreme admiration."

"Nope." Anko said authoritatively, "That girl has a crush the size of Tsuchi no Kuni on Naruko and only two things have held her back from confessing before now: first, her own shy nature, caused by that damn clan of hers treating her like dirt. Second, the fear of rejection due to disgust. She didn't know if Naruko would be receptive to advances from another girl and feared losing her friendship. She overheard us talking back at Morimura and now knows that Naruko likes girls. All she has to do is overcome her shyness and I'd say she has a very good chance of getting a girlfriend today."

"Aren't you jealous of someone moving in on your lover?" Kurenai asked curiously.

Anko laughed slightly. "Nai-chan, sleeping with Naru-chan is an assignment." she said with a giggle, "While I like her a whole lot more than I expected to, she and I both know that our relationship isn't anything fixed and solid. Once the mission is over, we'll very likely be friends with benefits, _very_ good friends with _very_ _good_ benefits."

"She can't be _that_ good in bed." Kurenai said abruptly, then flushed red when she realised what she had said.

Anko cackled. "Oh ye of little faith. She is good enough to break _two_ experienced chunin level members of the seduction squad…_at the same time!_"

The raven-haired Jonin gasped, her crimson eyes widening in realisation. "The two gate guards? Naruko _broke_ them?"

"Unintentionally." Anko admitted, "She came up with a real doozy of a technique, one that I don't think any lesbian or bisexual woman could resist with any success, and tested out on them. She called it '_**Injutsu: **__**Mozu no Ie no Jutsu (Sexual Art: House of a Hundred Tongues Jutsu)**_' and I _never_ want to be on the receiving end of it. That is all I'll say on the matter."

"Kami." Kurenai shook her head slowly, "By the sounds of it, we'll have problems keeping them out of each others beds once they start dating."

"Naru-chan will move just as slowly as 'Nata-chan needs." Anko disagreed, "She is a very gentle lover and refuses to push someone when it isn't a mission. Your daughter in all but name is in good hands, Nai-chan."

"I know…" Kurenai sighed again and stared out the window absently. Anko patted her friend on the shoulder in comfort before heading out the back door. She spotted a purple clad blond sneak into the forest and shook her head in amusement.

"She has it almost as bad as 'Nata-chan." Anko muttered to herself before vanishing in a _**Konoha Shunshin**_.

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**With Hinata**

**In the Forest &amp; Forest Clearing, Nami no Kuni**

Hyuuga Hinata ran through the forest, her active _**Byakugan**_ searching for her wayward teammate. Hinata had rarely seen Naruko lose control of herself like that, castigating and rebuking a child with such severity, despite her apparent calm.

Naruko's anger was usually very flashy and obvious, like a volcano erupting. That was for things like taunts, teasing and people making fun of her friends. However, when she got really, _really_ mad, all the fire vanished and she became as cold as a frozen tundra at midnight.

Hinata knew this because Naruko had saved her from a trio of bullies when they were both five. Which might have taken place during her temporary homelessness, considering that, from what Hinata could remember, Naruko had worn fairly baggy clothes a few sizes too large for her and held in place with rope, string and a belt.

Hinata finally caught sight of Naruko -actually a couple of hundred Naruko _Clones_\- and changed direction. She had known, as soon as Naruko had stood from the table, that her not-so-secret crush planned on spending the night in the forest after exhausting her chakra training in an effort to relieve her anger, which was why Hinata had chased her.

Still, Naruko had surprised the Hyuuga Heiress by vanishing in her trademark _**Kaze Shunshin**_ rather than actually run in an attempt to alleviate her anger physically, so she had guessed her friend would go fairly deep into the forest to keep away from the rest of her teammates.

Hinata slowed down as she drew near the clearing where she had spotted Naruko's clones and examined the clones carefully. There seemed to be three major groups practicing three separate jutsu. One group was practicing some kind of collaboration Katon jutsu, one was practicing a shuriken multiplication jutsu and the last was…making roof tiles? From mud?

Hinata wasn't a genius like her cousin Neji, but she was a smart girl and quickly recalled the jutsu Naruko had been given as a reward for defeating Team 7 single-handedly.

She saw that the fire jutsu was interesting and would be very useful for overwhelming bandits. The shuriken multiplication technique puzzled her for a moment before she placed it as the _**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_ that was a favourite jutsu of the Sandaime Hokage.

The last jutsu though was perplexing to Hinata. Why would anyone create a jutsu just to create roof tiles? It was bizarre.

"Would you m-mind telling me what t-that Doton jutsu is f-for…Naruko-chan." Hinata said conversationally as she deactivated her bloodline and she looked to the side, where the real Naruko leaned against a tree, watching her.

"It was a jutsu originally developed by the Sarutobi Clan to make it easier to create tiles for houses back in the pre-Konoha days." Naruko replied quietly, "After Konoha was founded, it was adapted for combat so shinobi could use _**Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken no Jutsu**_ no matter where they were."

"That…that's brilliant!" Hinata breathed. Combining those two jutsu meant that a shinobi had a nigh limitless amount of projectile weapons to use against their enemy.

"Yeah." Naruko smiled slightly before becoming serious. "Why're you here Hinata-chan? I kinda wanted to be alone for a while."

"T-That's why I followed you." Hinata replied, "Y-you're upset and angry a-and you m-might hurt yourself with all of this ninjutsu practice. You know how anger and f-frustration weakens a person's chakra c-control."

Naruko sighed and reluctantly nodded. It was for that reason that Sasuke still hadn't gotten very good at Tree Climbing. He was too focussed on his anger and frustration to focus on his chakra control, which meant he was in for a long haul in mastering it.

"OK, fine." she relented, "I won't take part in any ninjutsu practice. I still wanna do something to get rid of all this anger."

"H-How about a taijutsu spar?" Hinata asked as she moved into the ready stance of her _**Jūho**_ style. Naruko looked taken aback at this suggestion. Hinata _never_ suggested spars with her friends. She usually had to be teased and cajoled into sparing with either Ino or Naruko.

"Sure…" Naruko replied, one eyebrow raised questioningly as she assumed the Araumi Stance of _**Ushio-ken**_. Hinata was acting a little different from normal and Naruko was wondering what was up.

With a twitch, Naruko made another Shadow Clone to start the match. The clone, rather amusingly, transformed into the outfit of a Tate-Gyōji (Top Rank Sumo Wrestling Referee), a light purple silk yukata kimono, with solid purple tassels and rosettes at key points on the outfit, a black hat, tabi socks, zōri (straw sandals) and a tantō thrust into the belt. The clone also carried a wooden gunbai (war fan) in one hand.

"Both competitors, ready?" the Clone Referee asked formally, making Naruko roll her eyes as she nodded yes. Hinata jerked her head sharply in affirmation as well. The clone raised the war fan into the air slowly, then brought it back down sharply.

"Hajime!"

Hinata _flew_ across the space between them in a flash, her hands lancing out to strike at Naruko, who reacted like quicksilver, avoiding the chakra sealing strikes by the barest of margins and then lashed out with kicks strong enough to stagger a full-grown man, let alone a slightly built twelve-year-old girl.

'_Kami!_' Hinata thought as she flung herself back to avoid the barrage of kicks that were arcing towards her. She had known that Naruko had been holding back in their previous spars, but this was beyond what she had expected. The sharp reflexes Naruko possessed combined with the Araumi stance was a frighteningly good defensive position, which allowed her to react almost instantly to any straightforward attack from the front.

The speed of the kicks made it very difficult to find an opening to attack as well. Hinata couldn't even close the _tenketsu_ on Naruko's legs because she was whipping them around in seemingly random patterns that prevented her from even touching her.

"_**Hakke **__**Kūshō! (Eight Trigrams Air Palm!)**_" Hinata unleashed a blast of chakra at Naruko's torso, aiming for several of the tenketsu in the abdomen, from her hand with a quick palm thrust. Naruko was forced to leap away and twist like a contortionist to avoid the chakra blast, but even she couldn't avoid it entirely, getting clipped on the left side by the blast.

"Damn!" Naruko cursed. _This_ was part of the reason that it was considered suicide to fight a member of the Hyuuga Clan in a taijutsu match. Not only could they lock down your _tenketsu_, making you unable to use chakra, and attack your organs, they could _also_ fire raw chakra blasts without using handsigns.

The Uzumaki Heiress looked at Hinata with respect. "When did you learn that one?" she asked as she winced in pain from the blow to her side.

"J-Just yesterday." Hinata admitted, "I-I didn't think I'd be able to use it properly, but those kicks were getting too close for comfort. So I took a chance."

"_**Ushio-ken: **__**Toppūkyaku Rendan (Tide Fist Style: Squall Kick Barrage)**_" Naruko told her with a shrug, "Meant to keep pressure on the opponent so the fight can be ended quickly."

"Point, Hinata-chan!" the Clone Referee called, making the original glare at it and Hinata giggle before they returned to their original positions. At the referee's signal, they charged at each other again. Naruko leading the attack this time.

Leaping into the air, the red-clad kunoichi spun and brought her foot down in a perfect execution of _**Ushio-ken: Tsunami Sensoku (Tide Fist Style: Tidal Wave Apex Kick)**_. Hinata dodged it easily, but was shocked when the kick slammed into the ground, making a small crater on impact and kicking up a cloud of dust.

'_If that had hit me unawares, I would have been crippled!_' Hinata thought faintly, '_Naruko-chan…isn't holding back one bit._'

Naruko ran from the dust cloud and sent a punch towards Hinata that was oddly slower than usual. Hinata acted on impulse, dancing to the side and grabbing Naruko's arm and emitted a pulse that rendered it useless for a couple of minutes.

"_**Hakke: Rei**__**shō! (Eight Trigrams: Spirit Palm!)**_" Hinata shouted, throwing Naruko into the air and charging chakra into her palms. If Naruko wanted to play hardball, Hinata would oblige her.

As Naruko drew close, the Hyuuga Heiress was surprised to see a grin on Naruko's face as she fell. Hinata, with slight trepidation, followed through on her attack, launching two swift blows at Naruko, although a burst of chakra from her target distracted her for a moment.

Lightning fast, Naruko grabbed _both_ of her arms with her own, including the one Hinata had been sure she had neutralised. Flipping over Hinata's head and pulling her arms, Naruko then flipped Hinata over _her _head and slammed her into the ground, driving the breath from her bluenette friend's lungs.

"…hah…hah…" Naruko was panting and cradling the arm that Hinata had disabled. Training with Gai-sensei for a month had meant she had fought the Branch House Prodigy more than a few times. After a seven consecutive defeats, she had developed a counter -of sorts- against the _**Juken**_ and its ability to numb the limbs and close _tenketsu_, although it hurt like _hell_ to use.

By forcing a considerable amount of chakra into the affected area, she could force the closed _tenketsu_ open and reverse the numbing affect of the _**Juken**_. Unfortunately, the counter-numbing effect was temporary, only lasting for about twenty seconds before reverting…and causing considerable _pain_ when it did. Right now, it felt like someone was flaying the skin from her arm and rubbing salt into the resulting wounds.

"Wha…what was…t-that?" Hinata asked after she got her breath back.

"_**Ushio-ken Ougi: **__**Chōseki-Ryoku Nage (Tide Fist Style Ultimate Technique: Tidal Force Throw)**_" Naruko replied, "It draws the enemy in and smashes them to the ground with prejudice. Unless they are expecting it, it is very difficult to counter, especially for you, since I used it as a counter-counter move."

"No…I-I meant, what was the pulse of chakra I saw from you just before you countered me?" Hinata riposted as she gingerly sat up, wincing as the bruises from her abrupt introduction to _terra firma_ stinging as she moved.

Grimacing slightly, Naruko explained the small technique that she had used, as well as the demerit that resulted from using it. Hinata scolded her for using such a technique in a friendly spar.

"I got carried away." Naruko admitted, "Fighting you right now is similar to fighting Neji-san. I _have_ to take you seriously because you are so skilled."

Hinata flushed red as a tomato at this. "I-I'm nowhere near as skilled as Neji-nii-san." she mumbled and prodded her index fingers together shyly.

"One point, Original Me!" the Clone Referee declared.

Naruko chuckled slightly and reached out her hand to Hinata, who grabbed it gratefully. Naruko hauled her to her feet and the two combatants took their places.

"Final round." declared the Clone Referee, "Ready? Hajime!"

"_**Jūhop**__**ō: Shōtei!**_" Hinata slammed a palm strike at Naruko at the same time Naruko threw a fist forwards her and said, "_**Ushio-ken: Kaiō**_ _**Ōken! (Tide Fist Style: Sea King Great Fist!)**_"

The two blows intercepted each other and threw their users back from each other from the force of the blows. Naruko recovered first and launched a roundhouse punch at Hinata, who swayed back to avoid it before sending a snap kick at Naruko's jaw.

Naruko leaned back only far enough to barely avoid the kick. She could count the treads on the sole of Hinata's shinobi sandal as it passed by her face. Then, she moved forwards, tackling Hinata to the ground to take advantage of her centre of balance being askew.

Hinata squeaked in surprise as Naruko bore her to the ground, then grunted in slight pain as her bruises were struck solid blows by the ground beneath her. The two kunoichi wrestled for a moment before the Hyuuga Heiress found herself pinned by Naruko, her arms held above her head and held immobile by the Uzumaki Heiress, who sat on her stomach.

"Gotcha, Hinata-chan." Naruko grinned.

Hinata considered her options. There was a single jutsu that she knew would defeat Naruko in this position. Unfortunately, it was a powerful jutsu that was designed to go to full power from the moment it activated, so it would likely disable Naruko, maybe _very seriously_ disable Naruko.

"Y-You win." Hinata sighed, "The o-only jutsu I know that could reverse this situation could r-really hurt you, so it's your victory."

"The _**Ichigekishin (One Body Blow)**_?" Naruko asked with a cocked head.

"H-Hai." Hinata nodded. She flushed when she realised that Naruko was still pinning her, although her arms were now held on either side of her head rather than above it.

Naruko noticed Hinata's blush and abruptly remembered the position she was in. She was just about to let go of her when the Kyuubi spoke up from the depths of her mindscape.

'**Brat! Don't be stupid! She wants you, so for Kami and Mother Inari's sake CLAIM HER!**' the millennia old fox roared.

'_But…_' Naruko protested.

'**No buts!**' the fox interrupted, '**You want her, but you are too unsure if she likes you or not. Here's an idea…**'

Naruko flushed red at the Kyuubi's idea, but decided to go along with it…for now.

"Well then Hinata-chan," Naruko said softly, "Since I won, will you pay a forfeit?"

"A-A forfeit?" Hinata asked, "Wh-What kind of f-forfeit?"

Her flush deepening signalled that the demure Heiress' mind had gone into overdrive at what Naruko might ask her to do, or so the Kyuubi informed his container.

"You get a choice." Naruko said quietly, "Either you answer a single question with complete honesty…or you kiss me. Choose."

Hinata's mind went blank in shock. Did…did _Naruko_, her crush of more than four years, just give her the option to _kiss_ her? As in a full, honest to Kami _kiss on the lips_?

'_Wh-wh-why would she offer that as a choice as a forfeit for me to give to her?_' Hinata thought fuzzily as she threatened to black out from happiness, '_No! You will not faint! Wait a moment, she also gave me the option of answering a question honestly? That means…_'

It struck her like a hammer. Naruko _knew_. Knew, or at the least strongly suspected, that Hinata liked her as more than a friend, liked her as someone would regard a lover.

The Hyuuga Heiress had been both excited and nervous to find out that Naruko liked girls when she overheard Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei talking about her Injutsu lessons back at the Morimura refugee camp. Excited, because there was no way she could be rejected as unnatural or disgusting.

Nervous because, with this revelation, the only thing stopping her from confessing her feelings to Naruko was her own shyness, her hesitation, her cowardice.

She had planned to make herself seem available to Naruko slowly, gradually making her friend aware that Hinata was attracted to her until she was certain that Naruko was at least receptive to her feelings and not going to turn her down because she had feelings for someone else…like Anko-sensei.

Jealousy had run through her when she had realised that Anko had taken Naruko's virginity, including her first kiss. She did realise that it was a mission for the Tokujo, although the Heiress could tell that Anko was developing some feelings for Naruko that had started about a month ago, now that she examined her memories while taking this new information into account.

"Hinata-chan?" Naruko's voice broke her out of her babbling mental loop with credible alacrity. Her mind fixed on the choice before her; question or kiss. Either choice could lead her towards what she had sought for four years, but which to pick?

Her traitor mouth moved without her brain realising it was doing anything until the words, "Ask me a question," were voiced.

Naruko nodded slowly, her mouth dry and she swallowed nervously before she took the plunge and asked the question suggested by the Kyuubi.

"Hinata-chan…how do you feel about me?" she asked quietly.

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**Next Chapter: Hinata's Confession**

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**Author's Note: Now I am **_**finally**_** caught up on this story, I can turn my attention to Code Geass. Once I have reposted that story, I will finish off the next chapter of this story and upload it.**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with Emboldened names are of my creation.**

_Any Jutsu in Italics are Game Jutsu I have translated and ranked._

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Hakke Kūshō - Eight Trigrams Air Palm

Rank: _High__-__C_

Type: _Offensive, Taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai_

Effect: _A specific target version of Hakkeshō Kaiten, this jutsu allows the user to assail an enemy from a distance, targeting their vital areas. A pure 'Vacuum Shell' comprising of the Juken is released at the enemy after the user pinpoints the target and uses a high-speed palm thrust, blowing them from their feet before they know they're under attack._

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**Ushio-ken: ****Toppūkyaku Rendan - Tide Fist Style: Squall Kick Barrage**

Rank: _High-D_

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user unleashes a continuous barrage of kicks at the opponent, in a similar fashion to taekwondo and kickboxing. The constant barrage puts pressure on the opponent, forcing them to act rather than think their moved though beforehand._

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**Ushio-ken: Tsunami Sensoku Tide Fist Style: Tidal Wave Apex Kick**

Rank: _C_

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user leaps into the air, flipping in midair before extending a leg and performing an axe-drop kick on the opponent. Combining the weight of gravity,, centrifuge and their own strength, this kick had the exact same form as Senju Tsunade's infamous Tsūtenkyaku._

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_Hakke: Rei__shō - Eight Trigrams: Spirit Palm_

Rank: Low-C

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive, Defensive, Kekkei Genkai_

Effect: _The user throws the enemy into midair and then strikes them with a powerful double-palm blow as they fall. A counter manoeuvre designed for offensive defence._

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**Ushio-ken Ougi: ****Chōseki-Ryoku Nage - Tide Fist Style Ultimate Technique: Tidal Force Throw**

Rank: _Low-B_

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive, Defensive_

Effect: _One of the more powerful techniques in the Ushio-ken Style's repertoire, it is the epitome of passive aggressive tactics. By allowing themselves to be attacked, the user draws in the enemy. Then, the user must seize the attacker's hands, jump over them, pulling their arms as they go, and then pick the attacker up and slam them into the ground. This is a very complex and hard to accomplish move that can only be used by those few who chose to master Ushio-ken in its entirety._

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**Ushio-ken: Kaiō** **Ōken - Tide Fist Style: Sea King Great Fist**

Rank: C

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user launches a straight punch at the foe, which is surrounded in a thin layer of water drawn from the air around them. This increases the size, strength and density of the punch's impact._

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	20. Hinata's Confession

**Disclaimer: Do I own Naruto? Nope. Doesn't stop me from wishing I did though…**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 20: Hinata's Confession**

**With Ino**

**The Forest, Nami no Kuni**

Yamanaka Ino was running through the forest, looking for her teammates. Naruko had stormed out after giving Inari a blistering, ice-cold earful, with Hinata swiftly following her.

'_And Anko-sensei stops me from following them for some reason!_' Ino thought sourly. She was a member of Team 8 as well! She had a right to help her friends out when they were depressed!

Yet, deep inside her, Ino felt a great amount of turmoil. When Naruko lashed out verbally at Inari, all of her words, her body language and the look in her eyes were screaming an immense amount of pain and suffering that anyone trained to the standards of the Yamanaka Clan could easily notice it.

Ino's heart had twisted in pain and almost broken when she hear what Naruko had suffered what must have been only a few short months before they had met and become friends. Everything before that…she was still feeling angry enough to tear anyone responsible for any of those incidents.

A flash of red caught Ino's eye and she turned towards it. Naruko was having a spar with Hinata, both of them going all out, from what she could see. She was about to call out to them when a hand clamped itself over her mouth and she heard the familiar voice of Anko hiss quietly, "_**Sen'eijashu!**_"

Her arms and legs were wrapped in snakes and, as much as she struggled, she could not get free. Ino shuddered as one of the snakes raised its head and hissed at her. She had a mild case of ophiophobia, a fear of snakes, and as much as she had gotten used to seeing Anko's _**Sen'eijashu**_ used on other people, apparently it was another thing _entirely_ to have the jutsu used on her.

"Now then Flower Girl, what are you doing here?" Anko muttered into the Yamanaka Heiress' ear, "Last time I checked, I told you to practice your jutsu."

"MMMPH!" Ino said angrily. In the distance, Naruko and Hinata disappeared from sight as Naruko tackled the Hyuuga Heiress to the ground after dodging a snap kick.

"You know, I have been in ANBU T&amp;I for _years_ now." Anko whispered to Ino conversationally, "The things that I've forgotten about reading the human body could fill a book. And, wouldn't you know it; you have been showing all the signs of having a crush…on Naruko."

"MMMMPH! MMMPH!" Ino tried to protest, her cheeks flaming red.

"Now, now, no trying to bite or I'll set you up with a lovely ball gag that I have, to complete the _**Kamenokō Shibari no Jutsu (Turtle Shell Binding Jutsu)**_ that you are going to be under as part of your punishment for disobeying orders." Anko scolded Ino lightly, "Yes, you have a crush on Naruko. You peek at her, flush when you see her changing and generally act like a lovestruck lesbian when around her, although you are probably bisexual like me and her considering you like the Uchiha spawn."

Ino struggled some more but slumped down in defeat. She had suspected something like this for a while now, only leaning towards actually believing that she might like girls in the last three days, starting with when she kissed Naruko on the cheek at the gates of Konoha.

She hadn't wanted to believe it though. She hadn't wanted to believe that she could be fickle enough to like two people at the same time, despite the fact they were different genders and were in fact as different as night and day. Sasuke was dark, brooding and cool, while Naruko was bright, energetic and open.

"Thing is Flower girl, Nata-chan wants Naru-chan and has done for a while." Anko said softly, "While it might seem a little cruel, I can't let you get in her way, so as the first part of your punishment…_listen and watch_."

Through her growing horror, Ino heard something from Naruko that made her want to cry, in a completely different way to how she had cried at Naruko's tale of her life earlier that day.

"Hinata-chan…how do you feel about me?"

**Hinata's Perspective**

When Hinata heard Naruko's question, she thought her heart was going to either stop or explode out of her chest. She focussed solely on not fainting as she could not afford to act like that, not anymore, not now she had finally gotten a chance to tell Naruko how she felt.

"D-Do you remember…when we were f-five?" Hinata asked.

Naruko cocked her head to one side in thought. "When those three Academy students picked on you and I pelted them with rocks until they ran off crying? Yeah, of course."

"Th-that was the f-first time anybody stood up for me since my Okaa-san d-died." Hinata told Naruko sadly, "Hizashi-oji-sama had disliked me because I-I couldn't use _**Juken**_ well, then the Hyuuga I-Incident happened and he d-died. Otō-sama was grieving after Okaa-san passed away a-after giving birth to Hanabi-chan and was…harsh towards me. Neji-nii-san hated me for being t-the cause of Hizashi-oji-sama's death. The rest of the clan followed Otō-sama and Neji-nii-sama's lead."

"Why those…" Naruko's face twisted in anger at how her friend was treated, but Hinata shook her head softly at her friend, silencing her.

"I-it was understandable, Naruko-chan. I was weak and could barely last a minute in a spar." Hinata said with a small smile, "I-I was really grateful to you, so I kept an l-lookout for you so I could thank you. B-but I couldn't find you in what l-little time I had outside the estate."

"Then we both started the Academy." Naruko remembered, "I thought someone was watching me that first week…it was you, wasn't it?"

"Hai." Hinata nodded, "I t-tried to work up the courage to thank you, but I k-kept failing, over and o-over, so all I ended up doing w-was watching you."

"Watching me fail all the time." Naruko muttered.

"N-No, watching you persevere, never giving up despite what everyone said and did to you." Hinata corrected her gently, "Just watching you from afar gave me s-strength and confidence. I r-respected you and admired y-you. To become more l-like you was my ambition, m-my goal."

Naruko flushed red at this revelation. "Hinata-chan…"

"Th-then, a year after we started at the Academy, that sempai…what he tried to do to me…" Hinata shuddered.

Naruko scowled. A Final Year Academy student from the Kagami Clan had decided to molest Hinata, knowing she hated hurting people. It had gotten to the point that Hinata had cried out for help when Naruko came into the room, screamed the building down (PERVERTED BASTARD!) and then hit the boy in his family jewels several times.

The result of the entire incident was the boy being expelled from the Ninja Program and sent to receive frequent mental health checks from the Yamanaka Clan. He had also received critical damage to his gonads, making it unlikely that he would ever reproduce.

Hinata had also developed mild androphobia after that and it had taken Iruka-sensei months to coax her out of her shell and begin to trust the boys in her class again. Naruko had assumed a bodyguard-like role in the class with her, handing her over to her bodyguard from the Hyuuga Clan at the end of the day and picking her up in the morning.

"He was _so_ lucky that my Taijutsu was sabotaged by Mizuki-teme, otherwise I would have beaten him to death!" Naruko muttered angrily.

Hinata smiled before continuing, "As we became friends, I-I realised that I was starting to…like you. Like you as f-far more as a friend should like you, but I-I didn't know w-what to do. I was scared."

Naruko released Hinata's hands and got off her stomach. Hinata smiled at Naruko again as she sat up.

"But…" Naruko began to say.

"L-Let me finish, please." Hinata said gently, "I was s-scared, but I could tell that my crush was g-getting stronger with every year that passed. I knew that a few people didn't like lesbians and I didn't know how you f-felt because y-you were never in the k-kunoichi-only classes, where that kind of thing was d-discussed.

When we e-ended up on the s-same team after graduation…w-well, you s-saw what happened."

The Hyuuga Heiress flushed as she recalled fainting in the classroom. Naruko chuckled softly before becoming serious once again.

"So…Hinata-chan…you really…"

"I l-like you. A-A lot." Hinata replied, her face flushed red as she prodded her fingers together, "A-a-and…pleasebemygirlfriend!"

Her traitor mouth once again acted without prior permission and rushed the last part out in an unintelligible babble, making Hinata flush redder than ever and finally faint with a loud, "EEP!"

Naruko automatically caught Hinata as she slumped forwards and gently laid her down on the ground. She brushed some of Hinata's hair away from her face softly.

'**I told you so, brat.**' the Kyuubi sounded very smug.

'_Yeah, yeah, laugh it up furball._' Naruko replied, a slight blush on her face, '_I don't want to put her in danger. Look at what happened when we were just friends and teammates!_'

'**Oh? Are you saying that you would fight less fiercely for her if she was your mate rather than just a friend?**' the Kyuubi prodded her meaningfully.

'_No! Of course not!_' Naruko denied instantly, horrified by the idea.

'**Then there is no need to hesitate. She is of the Hyuuga Clan. That name will protect her from much, for fear of incurring their wrath.**' the ancient fox told her firmly, '**You like her in a similar way to how she likes you. Not to mention the fact that your mother would be very disappointed if you turned her down, you know.**'

'_Kaa-san would? Why?_' Naruko asked in astonishment.

'**Humph. Look at the section of the Uzumaki Clan traditions to do with societal customs and traditions.**' the Kyuubi replied with a snort, '**Your mother, similar to that accursed woman Mito, was an oddball among the Clan. I will say no more about it, but you had better pay attention to your mate, as she is coming to.**'

Naruko noticed that Hinata was beginning to stir and brought herself out of her internal conversation with her tenant and focussed on her friend. Hinata's eyes flicked open and closed for a moment before opening fully, revealing her lavender-tinted eyes that were unique among the Hyuuga Clan.

"…Oh…Naruko-chan…I…what?" Hinata asked fuzzily.

"You just confessed to me and asked me out." Naruko informed her dryly, "At least I think that was the last part. You said it so fast; I couldn't make out much of it."

Hinata's eyes flew wide open and she 'eep'd' again, but didn't faint this time, although her face certainly turned red enough as she sat up straight.

"So then." Naruko said, her heart beating faster every second, "Would you like me to answer your question?"

If possible, Hinata's eyes seemed to widen further and her breathing became ragged. Her hands clenched and unclenched themselves and she had the look of a mouse ready to bolt at the slightest sign of movement. After a moment that seemed to last an eternity, she slowly nodded once, her eyes fixed on Naruko's own.

"Alright then." Naruko took a breath in and let it out before continuing, "I…haven't had the best life, Hinata-chan. What I told Inari back there was a small sample, the main highlights really, of what I have endured. I have come close to dying more often in the twelve years before graduation than many veteran shinobi have in a lifetime."

Naruko's eyes dimmed to a dark blue as she spoke, her voice full of sadness, "I used to believe that everyone was against me, that I was alone in the village, that no one else was tortured as I was. Then, I came across a cute little girl getting picked on by three older boys."

Hinata's eyes widened as she heard Naruko's side of the story.

"Nobody had ever helped me before, and you were in the middle of a forest, where I was scrounging some food, so no one would come to your aid either…unless I did."

Naruko sighed. "I got in trouble for that though. The Uchiha Military Police chased me halfway across Konoha and tried to arrest me for assault with intent to do harm. Luckily, it was during that chase that Ji-chan found me and gave my apartment."

The obvious love for her grandfather figure made Hinata smile and took her mind off the bias of the now-deceased members of the Military Police.

"When that…_filth_…tried to…do what he did," Naruko said, her voice trembling with remembered rage, "I had never felt so angry in my life. Afterwards, Ji-chan came and talked to me. He told me how proud he was of me, for not hesitating to leap to the defence of a comrade from the Leaf. Then…your father paid me a visit."

"Otō-sama did?" Hinata asked in amazement. Her father had visited Naruko? Why?

"He thanked me for helping you and told me that if I needed anything in the future, all I had to do was ask." Naruko told her with a smile, "I don't think the Academy's sensei have ever been as…in mortal fear for their lives as they were when Hiashi-sama started yelling at them for letting a mentally disturbed boy into the Ninja Program. I could feel the KI he was putting out from the other side of the Academy Building."

"Wow…" Hinata breathed out. She had known her father had not meant his cold and unfeeling attitude towards her when she had been younger, but _this_ proved it beyond all doubts.

"Recently, I've been feeling…strange around you." Naruko admitted, "It was frustrating for me though, because I've been reluctant to get too close to people since that bastard Haruo attacked us, but…it has been pointed out to me that doing that serves no purpose other than make me and those I care for suffer.

'**Damn right, stupid brat.**' snorted the Kyuubi.

Naruko ignored the muttering demon fox and continued, "I think…I think that I'd like to go out with you Hinata-chan. I like you and I would like to see where this could go. So what do you say?"

A squealing Hinata, who was chanting 'Yes!' so fast it was nigh undecipherable, tackled Naruko. Naruko hesitantly hugged Hinata close to herself and found she liked the way Hinata felt when hugged like this.

"N-Naruko-…chan?" Hinata looked up at her hesitantly, her eyes trying to say something, her lips parted slightly and a flick of pink showed as she licked her lips, which clued Naruko in to what she wanted.

Right…Hinata, according to Anko, was a submissive, so was very different from the Snake Mistress, who would have simply kissed her by this point. Right.

Naruko hesitated before lowering her lips to Hinata's own and taking the first kiss of the Hyuuga Heiress. It was light and quite chaste, but it still made both girls feel like they were filled with warmth at the contact. They separated for an instant before mutually reconnecting with each other, lip-to-lip and hand to hand.

**With Ino and Anko…**

Tears were streaming down Ino's face as she saw Naruko and Hinata kissing. She was so distraught by the sight of her teammates kissing that she completely missed the fact that Anko had removed her snakes from their binding positions around her, until she bonelessly slumped to the ground.

She felt the touch of a hand on her shoulder then a sensation of rapid movement as Anko transported the pair of them in a _**Konoha Shunshin**_, reappearing at the seashore, about a li (½ a kilometre) away from Tazuna's House.

The beach was silent save for the rhythmic sound of the waves for a while, as Ino stared blankly at the placid sea for a while. Anko stood next to her, arms folded and awaiting Ino snapping out of her funk.

"Why did you make me watch that?" Ino asked quietly. She stood slowly, wiped at her face angrily and turned to look at Anko, with anger burning in her eyes.

"Because you had to understand that those two have been heading towards this for years." Anko replied blandly, "I could tell that after the first month of teaching you three. Hinata can't abide the touch of a man and cares for Naruko immensely. Naruko has suffered in her life and deserves to have some happiness. It's one reason why she is a fantastic lover. She cares about people, really cares about them, to the point that she would do anything to help those she cares for."

"Do you have any idea how I feel right now?" Ino asked, her body trembling in anger, "My _heart _feels like it's been _ripped out_!"

"I'm certain it does, brat." Anko said as she finally turned to regard Ino, her face still blank and emotionless, "What're you gonna _do_ about it?"

Ino shrieked a wordless cry of pain and anger and kicked out at Anko, who merely grabbed her leg and threw her nonchalantly over her shoulder.

The Yamanaka Heiress flipped in midair, landing lightly on her feet facing Anko and launched another kick, this time aimed at her sensei's head.

"Too obvious." Anko said, almost bored as she ducked under the kick and spun around in a powerful low kick that sent Ino crashing to the ground again.

"Face facts girl." Anko remarked as Ino spat out some sand and staggered to her feet, "Imagine if the situation was reversed. You'd want to be alone with her right now, wouldn't you?"

"I am Yamanaka Ino!" the platinum blond kunoichi snarled, "I am second to _no one_! Not Forehead Girl, Not Hinata!"

"No one is _asking_ for you to be, Flower Girl." Anko said with a shrug, "In case you didn't know, sharing partners isn't exactly unheard of in teams like this. Look at us. I'm sleeping with Naru-chan and now 'Nata-chan's taking the first step down the road to doing that as well. Interested in doing the same?"

Ino looked…poleaxed. "…You want the three of us to become lovers? With _each other_?" Ino asked incredulously.

"Want it? No. Suggest it as an option? Hell yes. You three are practically joined at the hip anyway." Anko pointed out, "Remember how it felt when you thought that bastard Haruo had killed Naru-chan?"

Ino flinched as the memory of her cousin coming within a handbreadth of killing Naruko with his _**Gōryūka no Jutsu**_ hit her full force. She had never felt the urge to kill be so strong as it had been then, although it had been Hinata and Naruko who had dealt the coup de grâce to her treacherous cousin rather than her.

"Now imagine that the one you thought had been killed had been 'Nata-chan." Anko said bluntly.

The image flashed into Ino's mind of Hinata being consumed by the flames of Haruo's Jutsu. An unexpectedly sharp pain struck her and she clutched her chest just over her heart.

"That's what I thought." Anko smirked at the Yamanaka Heiress, "Looks like you have better taste in girls than you do with guys, Flower Girl."

"What _is_ it with people not liking Sasuke-kun?" Ino grumbled.

"You mean _besides _the fact that he's antisocial, an Emo, arrogant and has a superiority complex?" Anko asked rhetorically, "He also happens to revenge-obsessed, rude and the polar opposite of what a ninja is _supposed_ to be."

"What do you mean?" Ino asked, "Sasuke-kun was named Rookie of the Year!"

"Pssh." Anko scoffed derisively, "Let me tell you something Flower Girl. Out of every single so-called 'Rookie of the Year' the Academy has churned out since its founding, only the Yondaime Hokage _himself_ has lived up to the hype that the title causes among the civilians. Hatake, Orochimaru-teme, that Neji kid…none of them lived up to the expectations that were put on them."

"S…seriously?" Ino asked in amazement.

"Yep." Anko replied casually, "My bastard of a sensei…he doesn't really _need_ an explanation, what with turning traitor and all. Hatake is good, inventing a couple of high-powered Raiton jutsu and all, but he's become lazy and late all the time, barring for A-Rank missions and above, after he was the last survivor of his team during the Third Great Shinobi War. As for the Neji brat? He's a fate-obsessed whipping boy who hates the Main Branch of the Hyuuga, you heard 'Nata-chan back there. Those three are the most notable, but every other 'Rookie of the Year' has been just an average ninja."

"I-I don't understand." Ino stammered, "Why?"

"What it takes to be top rank in the Academy and what it takes to be top rank in the Shinobi Forces are two _totally_ different things." Anko told her flatly, "The Uchiha brat could get away with being an antisocial Emo there, maybe even on those D-Rank piss-jobs that are laughably called missions, but on C-Rank and above missions? On these, he _has_ to work closely with his team, in order to make sure he and his teammates survive. Has he been doing that on this mission?"

Ino thought back to Sasuke's childish tantrum earlier that day and his refusal to listen to his sensei yesterday. "No." she admitted begrudgingly.

"There you go then." Anko said as she began to smile in a sinister manner, making Ino eye her worriedly, "Now, I believe that you still have the _other_ part of your punishment to go through."

As she spoke, she drew a thin length of cord out of her trench coat and began playing with it, making the Yamanaka Heiress start to back away from her slowly.

"Ah-ah-ah." Anko scolded the girl lightly as her eyes net Ino's own, "_**Kanashibari no Jutsu!**_"

The pulse of chakra Anko sent out froze Ino solid, unable to move, as if she were a mouse trapped before the gaze of a snake.

"Punishment time begins now, Flower Girl." Anko muttered as she strode towards the paralyzed Ino, who was not looking forward to whatever it was her sensei was going to do with that cord…

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back with Naruko and Hinata…**

Hinata was feeling like she was walking on clouds. She had finally confessed her feelings to Naruko and had had them reciprocated! She was now Naruko's girlfriend and they had just finished an extended session of kissing. She was currently snuggling into Naruko's side and feeling happier than she had since her mother had died.

"Hinata-chan, we have to talk." Naruko muttered as she stroked Hinata's hair, which felt wonderfully soft.

"What about, Naruko-chan?" Hinata asked.

"About how we are going to show our relationship to the rest of Konoha." the Uzumaki Heiress replied, which made Hinata sit up and take notice.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Naruko smiled at the indignant expression on her new girlfriend's face and told her, "Well several things, but chief among them, I am worried what the rest of Konoha will think about me dating the Hyuuga Heiress."

"Why is it a-any of their business?" Hinata asked with a frown, which cleared a moment later and was replaced with a dark scowl as she said, "Y-You mean…t-the civilians who are c-convinved you are the K-Kyuubi reborn, d-don't you?"

"Exactly." Naruko muttered, "They would accuse me of seducing and beguiling you then taking control of you. If not, they'd call you the 'Demon's Whore' or something."

"They wouldn't d-dare insult the Hyuuga Clan like that." Hinata told her girlfriend firmly.

"The second one, perhaps," Naruko allowed, "But the first is possible, because I have already broken two people with my Injutsu training. Remember the new gate guards?"

"Th-them? You…b-b-b-b-broke them?" Hinata asked with a blush as she imagined exactly what Naruko had done to accomplish that.

"Oh yes." Naruko said solemnly, "I completely broke them to my will. They are _very_ subservient to me. If I told them to seduce the female members of the civilian council and break _them_, they would do it without a jot of hesitation. The main problem is, I did it completely unintentionally while I was testing out a new Injutsu technique that I came up with."

"A-A new jutsu?" Hinata's face warmed as she thought of it, "What…what was it?"

"_**Injutsu: Mozu no Ie no Jutsu**_." Naruko replied, "A technique that combines Shadow Clones, warm massage lotion, Shibari and a paddle."

"Eep!" Hinata flushed dark crimson at the thought of being on the receiving end of _that_ technique.

"I-Is it really…that powerful?" Hinata asked with a gulp.

"Anko-sensei told me she ranked it as a High-A Rank Jutsu." Naruko replied, "The only reason it wasn't an S-Rank was because it requires the target to be tied up for it to be fully effective, which is an uncommon fetish. She told me that it was so effective that she doubted that _she_ would be able to resist it if I got her tied up."

"W-wow…" Hinata was still bright red.

"Moving back to the original subject, I think we should hide our relationship from anybody not in our team." Naruko suggested, "I know that you think that being a Hyuuga will deflect any ill feeling villagers, but remember Haruo, Arashi and Shippo."

Hinata's scowl returned at the mention of the so-called 'Kyuubi Killer' squad that had almost killed Naruko, making her grip tighten around her girlfriend's waist.

"I…I suppose you're right." Hinata conceded, "B-But I want to tell Ino-chan. She is our friend and teammate after all."

"Of course." Naruko said soothingly, "Ino-chan, Anko-sensei and Kurenai-sensei will be the first to know."

"Arigato." Hinata hugged Naruko enthusiastically again.

"Easy there." Naruko said, "Next on the agenda is about Anko-sensei."

Hinata was pouting at her cutely, but nodded. "Hai. What about Anko-sensei?"

"She still hasn't finished my Injutsu training, so I'll still be sleeping with her every so often." Naruko said firmly, "I'm sorry, but it is not going to end in the near future."

"I…I understand." Hinata sighed, reluctant acceptance on her face, "B-but I'm n-not happy about it."

"I know Hinata-chan." Naruko told her softly, "But I do want to be a good kunoichi, and knowing Injutsu is a part of it, although genin generally aren't sent on seduction missions."

"Ano…will we…" Hinata trailed off, her face blushing cherry red.

"No, we will not be doing THAT anytime soon." Naruko said firmly, "For one, we haven't even been on a date yet. For another, I want to be able to make love to you without worrying whether I'll break you by accident."

"No fair!" Hinata pouted again.

"Hinata-chan, no pouting." Naruko chided her, "I plan on taking you shopping for another set of mission outfits when we get back to Konoha, and if you aren't careful, it'll be micro-skirts, bikini-tops and thongs."

"EEP!" Hinata flushed red at the thought of wearing such revealing clothes, "B-bad Naruko-chan! Y-You _wouldn't_…!"

"Wouldn't I?" Naruko grinned down at her girlfriend, "Seriously though, I will be taking you shopping for a new outfit when we get back. I want to show off how cute my girlfriend is."

Hinata flushed again. "Y-You really think I'm c-cute?"

Naruko gazed at Hinata in mild amazement and made a note to prank the Hyuuga Clan into gibbering wrecks at some point for reducing Hinata's confidence to this point.

"Hyuuga Hinata, you are one of the top three cutest girls in our graduating class!" Naruko scolded her lightly, "I do not want to hear you doubt it again for even an instant! Understood?"

"H-Hai." Hinata was slightly taken aback by Naruko's vehemence, but connected the dots almost immediately. She had been subjected to far worse emotional bullying than Hinata had, having her own gender denied and her entire life dismissed as nothing more than a waste of air.

"W-Who would you say are the o-other two cutest girls?" Hinata asked curiously.

"Ino-chan and Sakura-chan of course." Naruko said matter-of-factly, "Ino-chan is the most elegant person I know and Sakura-chan is adorable when she's reading or talking about something passionately."

Hinata found herself agreeing with her girlfriend. Ino always moved with a subconscious grace that drew the eyes of people to her. Sakura was an enthusiastic reader and loved to debate things she had read with people. When she did, it was as if an inner fire was lit within her that made her seem cute.

Hinata had noticed these things about her two friends, but was delighted that Naruko had as well. They really thought about things similarly.

"A-Anything else?" Hinata asked shyly.

"Hmmm….no…I think we're up to date." Naruko thought for a moment then shrugged unconcernedly, "Meh. If there is anything else, it'll come to me later. For now…" She drew Hinata close again with a smirk on her face.

Hinata's giggle was cut off by Naruko's lips covering hers, almost instantly drawing muffled mewls of happiness from the Hyuuga Heiress.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**With Ino…**

"NNNGGGHHHH!" Ino groaned as she collapsed onto the sand, her body twitching from the conflicting signals it was receiving.

"What, you've collapsed already?" Anko asked from her perch on a nearby rock, "Jeez, you are seriously sensitive."

"…hah…hah…I can't…do this…anymore…" Ino panted, her lower half twitching every so often, "Take…gah!…this off me!"

"Nope, still have a good bit of daylight left." Anko said mercilessly, "If you don't finish up today, I'll slap you in this again after you finish group training tomorrow."

"Nooooo!" Ino moaned. After Anko had paralysed her, she had -somehow- used the _**Kawarimi no Jutsu **_to remove all of her clothes until she was completely naked, then tied her into a turtle shell binding, right out of Hojōjutsu. The only difference was that this rope was infused with chakra, so no matter what Ino did, she couldn't slip out of it.

Anko had then undone her _**Kanashibari no Jutsu**_ -which Ino was soooo going to learn at some point- , made her get dressed and start on the exercises for her _**Hanabira no Mai**_ Taijutsu style.

This was made rather difficult by the fact that Anko had made sure to knot the damned rope so that it rubbed in a _very_ intimate place whenever Ino moved her legs or abdomen in any way, shape or form. It was…distracting…to say the least, and Ino discovered that her body was extremely sensitive to touch, especially pleasurable touching in her womanhood.

Suffice is to say, Ino had barely managed to complete a single routine before collapsing, which led her to her current situation.

"Anko-sensei, I can't! It feels…" Ino protested before clamping her jaw shut with a flush.

"It feels too good whenever you move." Anko finished for her, "Yep. That's the idea. Y'know, I had you pegged as a sub from the thirty or fortieth time your dad regaled me with a story about you, and this just drives home how much of one you are. You're so sensitive that you feel good enough to climax from a little groping, I'll bet."

"This is hardly a 'little' anything!" Ino retorted with a glare.

"Thing is," Anko continued, ignoring Ino's outburst, "It's a big weakness for C-Rank and above missions. What if you're captured by the enemy? You'd break in less than five minutes like this. When we get back, I'll put forward a request to Hokage-sama to have you included in Naru-chan's Injutsu lessons. That'll toughen you up some."

"Wh…WHAT!?" Ino shrieked, "Are you _trying_ to kill me? If her stamina in training is anything to go by, she must be a monster in bed!"

"Oh, you have _no_ idea." Anko grinned wickedly, "I can outlast her…barely…and that's _without_ Shadow Clones. With them, she could knock me for six in bed. With you, it'll be a _very_ pleasurable way of increasing your endurance for pleasure…and pain. Now get up and finish your exercises, maggot!"

Ino groaned again and started to get up again. She did _not_ want to have to go through this again tomorrow, so it was better to get this over and done with now.

She was definitely going to ask Naruko to prank Anko though. A _lot_.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The Next Morning**

**Forest Clearing, Nami no Kuni**

Yuki Haku walked carefully through the forest to reach the area she had been told that the herbs she sought grew. Haku did not consider herself a skilled healer or herbalist, but what few remedies she knew were rote learned until she could recite the ingredients and mixing process backwards.

She stilled as she saw the clear signs of ninjutsu damage in the area. A large patch of burned grass in one area spoke to her of the use of a Katon jutsu, while an area of shredded foliage screamed out that someone had thrown a lot of shuriken through the space the leaves and branches once were.

Most unusually of all, there was a patch of mud…along with a large stack of roof tiles piled neatly beside it.

'_Who on earth would create a ninjutsu just for creating _roof tiles _of all things?_' Haku wondered in bewilderment. There had to be about a thousand tiles altogether. Even if the jutsu was only a D-Rank, to make this many, the person using the ninjutsu must have High Jonin-level reserves at the very least.

'_Kakashi, the Copy Ninja? Or is it the sensei of the other team that did this?_' Haku thought as she examined the clearing through narrowed eyes, '_Regardless, I'm going to have to be careful. There's no telling what kind of person has been here._'

Haku stepped forward cautiously as she strained with all of her sharp senses to find any trace of life. Her ears caught the soft, rhythmic breathing of two people who were fast asleep just beyond the edge of the clearing.

When Haku stepped around the trunk of one tree, she was met with what had to be the most adorable sight she had ever seen. A pair of girls, no older than twelve or thirteen, was snuggled up together at the base of a tree underneath a pale blue blanket.

One had long red-blond hair and slightly too small for her age and wore a red trench coat, while the other was slightly taller with short blue-black hair and wore a cream jacket. Both of them wore hitai-ate that identified them as shinobi of Konohagakure.

'_They must be genin from the reinforcement team._' Haku surmised. She looked at Naruko thoughtfully. '_The Demon Brothers said the kunoichi that killed the leader of the group of thugs wore red and had red-blond hair, so this must be her. Quite the cute one, but so is her friend._'

Haku debated the pros and cons of what to do here. On one side, she doubted she would have much problems eliminating both of the sleeping genin in short order, which would lessen the chance that one of them could prove troublesome to herself and Zabuza when they came to slay the bridge builder.

One the other side, Haku _despised_ unnecessary killing. To kill these two would be the very definition of unnecessary. They were of no possible threat to either herself or Zabuza, despite the fact the blond seemed to be blooded in combat.

Mind made up, Haku reached over and lightly shook the blond girl lightly. Her eyes immediately snapped open and locked onto Haku.

"Are you awake?" Haku asked softly, "You and your friend really shouldn't be sleeping in the open like this. You might catch a cold."

"Eh? Oh...I guess you're right." the girl admitted as she gently moved away from her friend, who whined cutely at the loss of contact until the blond covered her with the blanket again.

"You two look like good friends." Haku noted.

"We are." the girl looked down at her sleeping friend fondly, "I've known her for years. My name's Naruko by the way."

"Haku." the last living member of the Yuki Clan introduced herself, "You're both kunoichi, aren't you? That's what those symbols mean, right?"

She gestured at the hitai-ate that Naruko wore on her forehead.

"Yep. Newly graduated two and a half months ago." Naruko declared proudly as she tapped the metal plate with one finger.

"Oh my." Haku said, her face looking impressed, but internally she was frowning. What kind of sensei would agree to send their genin out on an A-Rank reinforcement mission against one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist? It boggled her mind just thinking about it.

"Yeah, the D-Ranks sucked but the first C-Rank we were on sucked even more." Naruko said with a frown, "It was a trap and we all almost died! Bloody S-Rank!"

Haku stilled at those words. Naruko's team had survived an _S-Rank _mission?!

"That sounds troublesome." she said carefully, "Isn't that one of the highest ranked missions you ninja can get?"

"Yeah. I almost died a couple of times." Naruko chuckled, seemingly unconcerned by the fact, "I couldn't die though. Not while my friends needed my help."

Haku smiled openly at this. "I see. I can tell you are truly strong then."

"What do you mean?" Naruko asked.

"I believe that a person is truly strong when they fight for their precious people." Haku explained. As she spoke, she remembered living rough on the streets of various towns in Mizu no Kuni after losing her mother, remembered the despair she had felt. But most of all, she remembered when Zabuza had taken her in off of the streets and made her his tool, giving the last of the Yuki Clan a reason to live.

Naruko was remembering her own life as well. All of the painful memories, as well as the happy memories that had become more frequent since she was seven. All of the people that had befriended and supported her. Iruka, the Hokage, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Choji, Shikamaru…hell, even that idiot Sasuke!

"I think I get what you're saying." she said softly, "It took a while, but I found people I'd fight and die for. Being alone…hurts. A lot."

"It does." Haku agreed, "I was alone until my precious person took me in, so I can understand that. Right now, he's unwell, so I was planning on collecting some herbs to help him get better."

"Do you want some help, Onē-san (Big Sister)?" asked Naruko.

"Thank you. I'd appreciate that." Haku replied with a smile.

The two discovered the herbs Haku had been searching for across from where Naruko had been napping. They were untouched by the ninjutsu practice, which made Haku happy. They filled the basket she had brought to carry the herbs, which Haku calculated would allow her to make a nice surplus of the medicine for storage in scrolls for when -not if, _when_\- Zabuza got overconfident again like he had against Kakashi.

Hey, Haku cared for him. It didn't mean she was blind to his faults.

"My thanks for your help, Naruko-san." Haku said as she stood to depart.

"No problem, Onē-san." Naruko said with a grin.

"By the way, I am a guy." Haku lied smoothly. She always used the double bluff that too many people fell for so easily. Combine her thin and androgynous frame with a feminine kimono then tell everyone she was male. It always worked to throw people off and made them concentrate on the kimono rather than the person wearing it.

Naruko, however, merely cocked her head and shook it once as she said, "Nah, you're female. I can smell your pheromones."

Haku froze again. '_Her sense of smell is sharp enough to detect female pheromones? This girl could be more troublesome than I anticipated…_'

"You can really smell them?" Haku asked in astonishment.

"Yep. Humans are a lot harder to smell than animals most of the time because of all the stuff that are used to wash clothes, perfume or aftershave, that kind of thing, but you have a…cleaner scent to you." Naruko replied with a frown, "That isn't the right word. You have very little blocking your natural scent, which makes it easier to smell the pheromones? I dunno if that's right, but I can smell your pheromones."

Naruko leaned forwards. "I'll keep quite though. You're saying you're male to keep Gatō's thugs away from you, right?" she said quietly, "Smart move. When I was in town yesterday, I got ambushed by some thugs wanting Tazuna-san and threatened to sell me to him as a sex slave if I didn't give him up."

"That must have been scary." Haku remarked, whilst inside she was fuming. Zabuza had _told_ Gatō to call off his thugs from trying to capture the bridge builder as he was Zabuza's mark now. Evidently, the midget hadn't listened and would have to explain himself to Zabuza once he was up and about again.

"Nah, me and a comrade took them out fairly easily." Naruko said dismissively, "There were only forty of them."

Haku raised an eyebrow at that. Forty poorly trained and equipped bandits, toughs and thugs were not hard to defeat, that much was true, but for a pair of genin to do it with the ease Naruko's words suggested was quite astonishing, especially when one of the genin was a kunoichi.

"I believe most girls your age would find forty bandits to be somewhat difficult, Naruko-san." Haku remarked dryly, "Kunoichi or not."

"Meh." Naruko shrugged, "Well, I hope the person you picked these herbs for appreciates the trouble you took to pick them."

"Oh he does." Haku assured her with a small smile, "He's just very gruff about it. It can be quite amusing to watch him tap-dance around actually showing gratitude, even although it's plain on his face for all to see that he _does_ feel grateful."

Naruko giggled at that. "Sounds like you have a tough time, Haku-nee-san."

"Quite." Haku smiled back, "I had better return to my home before my friend gets antsy about me being out for too long."

"OK then." Naruko nodded, "Hinata and I had better get back to our sensei anyway. We spent the whole night out here, so everyone'll be worried."

"Take care." Haku said with another smile as she turned and left the clearing, her quick and agile mind running through all the information she had gleaned from her encounter with the young kunoichi.

'_It would seem that the second team is either incredibly strong or incredibly lucky to have made it out of a trial by fire like an unexpected S-Rank mission._' she considered, '_Perhaps I should have killed them after all…either qualification means that they might become a problem for Zabuza-san…yet…_'

Haku frowned as she walked. There was an odd feeling about the kunoichi named Naruko, one that was hard to pinpoint. She wasn't bloodthirsty, arrogant or sinister, nor was she happy-go-lucky, careless or sloppy. Haku hadn't been able to see a single opening in Naruko's guard once she had awoken, despite the fact she had just been shaken awake in an area unknown to her and should therefore be disoriented.

The confidence in Naruko's words regarding the bandits hadn't been bravado, nor had it been hubris. It had been a simple statement of truth; that she could face forty unscrupulous bandits armed to the teeth with weapons, with only a single comrade by her side, and come out of the ensuing fight victorious.

While that was to be expected of any experienced chunin or jonin, to find such confidence in a _genin_ was very uncommon, let alone one less than _three months _into her career.

'_Naruko…you are one interesting kunoichi._' Haku mused as she used her Kekkei Genkai to create a sheet of ice in front of her and leapt into it, vanishing into its depths, leaving it to crack and shatter into pieces in her wake.

**Back with Naruko…**

"Hinata-chan?" Naruko softly called to her sleeping girlfriend, to receive no response.

Naruko sighed. Hinata was very hard to wake up when she wanted to be asleep, to the point that anyone trying to use physical force to wake her up would be hit with a fast, instinctive and entirely unconscious -but no less deadly for all that- _**Juken**_ strike.

Meaning you had to vocally call out to her…from a safe distance. Just in case.

"Oi…Hinata-chaaaan…" Naruko tried again, "You'd better wake up now, or I'll kiss you~"

That did it. Hinata's eyes snapped open and focussed on Naruko almost at once, earning the Hyuuga Heiress a fond grin from Naruko.

"I-eh…! Ah….EEP!" Hinata's face flushed crimson as she spluttered incoherently before fainting again with a cute squeak.

"Hinata-chan!" Naruko yelped, "Oh man…we are going to have to do something about you fainting all the time. Even though it's quite cute."

After a while, Naruko was able to revive Hinata, although her face was still bearing a great resemblance to a tomato, and the two set out to return to Tazuna's house.

"A…Ano…" Hinata said shyly, "L-Last night…wasn't a dream…right?"

"Nope." Naruko replied before catching Hinata in a hug and sealing her lips with another kiss, which pleased the Hyuuga Heiress to no end to judge from the way she melted into Naruko's arms.

"W…wow…" Hinata said dreamily as they separated, "Anko-sensei's really t-taught you how to _k-kiss_…"

"One of the advantages of Injutsu training." Naruko replied with a smile, "Now we'd better hurry back to Tazuna's house or we'll get in trouble."

"Hai~" Hinata replied, still in a hazy state because of Naruko's kiss. She didn't notice until they were moving again that Naruko had clasped her hand.

'_W-We're…Naruko and I are __holding__hands__!_' Hinata squealed to herself, '_NO! You are not a Fangirl! Naruko is a strong kunoichi, so the best way to keep her is to be a strong kunoichi as well. I'm _finally_ dating her after all this time; I can't let her get taken from me._'

Naruko noticed the sudden blaze of determination in her girlfriend's eyes and a slight increase of pressure from her hand as they walked. She didn't know what Hinata had decided on to cause this, but she had the feeling that whatever she had decided on was a good thing.

'_Things are looking up._' she thought as Tazuna's home came into view.

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**Next Chapter: Shadow of the Bloody Mist**

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	21. Shadow of the Bloody Mist

**Author's Note: Well here we are at the next chapter of the Wave Arc.**

**A couple of people have asked which lucky guy is getting Naruko. Please look at the description of this fic: YURI HAREM. No boys included.**

**Moreover, Yes, Haku will be joining the Harem.**

**Please Review!**

**Disclaimer: Here is the thing: I do not own Naruto.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 21: Shadow of the Bloody Mist**

**Zabuza's Hideout**

"So while you were picking the herbs for this herbal mix -which is somehow _even_ _fouler_ than your usual mix, by the way- you ran across two Konoha genin?" Zabuza summarised.

The Nuke-nin was reclining on his bed, idly playing with his sword, Kubikiribōchō (Decapitating Carving Knife), otherwise known as the Dantō (Seversword), as he listened to Haku's report.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied, "The one I talked to was the one responsible for killing the Kumogakure Auxiliary Ninja. She was…impressive."

"Oh?" Zabuza raised in query what would have been his eyebrow, were it not for the fact he had shaved it off.

"She was completely vulnerable while she slept, but once I woke her up, she automatically moved her body into a very good defensive position." Haku explained, "It was very subtle, but the change was there. She spoke of facing forty bandits, with only a fellow genin as backup, with the quiet confidence of a seasoned kunoichi. In addition, she spoke quite calmly about almost being killed on their last mission, a mission that was mislabelled apparently. It was an S-Rank disguised as a C-Rank."

"An _S_-Rank?!" Zabuza jerked in surprise at that one, "A _genin team _survived an _S-Rank _mission?! Who the hell are they?"

"The one who was sleeping had short blue hair and wore a jacket with a flame symbol on the upper arm." Haku said, trying to recall the two kunoichi and their appearance, "Her hitai-ate was around her neck. Naruko called her Hinata, I think."

"Hmm…interesting." Zabuza mused, "The flame symbol represents the Hyuuga Clan and from what I hear, the current Heiress of the Hyuuga Clan is called Hinata. She should be around about the right age to be a fresh genin. If it _is_ her, we will have to step carefully. The Hyuuga Clan are _not_ to be taken lightly. What about this Naruko, the one you spoke to?"

"She was slightly shorter than Hinata, not by much though." the last of the Yuki Clan replied, "She wore a red trench coat, with the right sleeve removed. She had a katana slung across her back and an odd bracer of some sort on her right forearm. She also wore two hitai-ate."

"Two?" Zabuza once again raised his non-existent eyebrow at this.

"Hai. One on her forehead bearing the symbol of Konohagakure and one on her right arm, bearing a symbol which I am unable to identify with a country or Hidden Village." Haku reported, "She also bore the symbol on her back and left arm."

"Must be a Clan symbol of some kind." Zabuza guessed, "What was the symbol?"

"A clockwise red spiral mounted on a blue background." Haku stated.

Zabuza froze and looked at her with wide eyes. "_A red spiral_…?! Are you _certain_ of this Haku?"

"I would not have said it if I was not certain, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied, the girl looking at her master with concern. He was not easily rattled, so for this symbol to do this to him, it must be of great concern to him.

"True." the Rogue Swordsman said with a frown, "Haku, this girl…did she have red hair?"

Haku had to think for a moment. "Mostly. She had flashes of blond in there as well."

"Dammit." cursed Zabuza, "We're dealing with an _Uzumaki_ then."

"An Uzumaki?" Haku asked, "I have heard of the name, but not much else."

Zabuza snorted. "Hardly surprising. They were all but wiped out at the start of the Third Great Ninja War by a joint attack by Kirigakure, Iwagakure and Kumogakure. It was one hell of a fight from what my predecessor told me. A real bloodbath."

"They can't have been that powerful if they were slaughtered like that." Haku said with a small frown.

"No, no, no," Zabuza shook his head violently, "It was the reverse; the Uzumaki were so powerful that if Kiri or Kumo had attacked separately, they wouldn't have stood a chance against the Uzumaki Clan, even with the element of surprise and overwhelming numbers.

As it was, the mainstay of the force came from Kiri and Kumo, while Iwa sent a highly specialised team to break down the defences of Uzushiogakure."

"'Village Hidden in the Whirlpools'?" Haku asked in confusion, "I thought we were talking about a single Clan?"

"They were." Zabuza replied, "They were _also_ rulers of their own Hidden Village, one that was made up almost entirely of members of the Uzumaki Clan. If you included distant cousins and the like, there were well over fifteen hundred members of the Uzumaki Clan."

Haku gaped in disbelief. The Yuki Clan of Mizu no Kuni had barely had three hundred members at its peak, according to a scroll Zabuza had stolen from Kirigakure as he fled the wrath of Yagura, and they had been one of the most populous Ninja Clans in the entire nation before the Bloodline Purges!

"Anyway, the casualties suffered were…awful." Zabuza continued after a moment, "The passive and active defences caused immense casualties, before they could even breach the walls. The only good thing was that they had never been designed to hold off the sheer number of shinobi that assaulted them."

"I don't understand." Haku admitted.

"The Uzumaki Clan were known and feared for their unparalleled skills in Fūinjutsu, Haku." Zabuza explained, "Very few people outside of the Uzumaki studied Fūinjutsu, so fear of what they could be planning grew in the leaders of those Hidden Villages not allied with them. All this despite the fact that the Uzumaki were wholly uninterested with conquest and rarely fought for anything except the defence of their home."

"So they were eliminated just because of unsubstantiated paranoia?" Haku asked in distress, "That's just as bad as Yagura eliminating the Clans of Mizu no Kuni who possess Kekkei Genkai out of fear!"

"I know Haku." Zabuza replied softly, "Regardless, paranoia seems to be something that the Sandaime Mizukage had in common with Yagura, otherwise why would he agree to a joint attack with two other Hidden Villages?

Anyway, the _real_ bloodbath started once the village walls were breached. By this time, the allied force had lost about thirty percent of their overall forces, including almost all of the Iwagakure shinobi. They went in expecting an easy slaughter, but it was like walking headfirst into a meat grinder. All of the Uzumaki knew that they were fighting for their lives, so all of them -shinobi and civilians- fought back like berserkers."

"The civilians fought as well?!" Haku said incredulously, "They would have stood no chance, not against trained ninja!"

"Ah, but remember, most of the civilians were members of the Uzumaki Clan, so they learned basic chakra control and their Clan's taijutsu style when they were growing up." Zabuza told her, "If Yagura hadn't begun the Bloodline Purges, you would have learned the Yuki Clan's taijutsu style and learned chakra control long before I met you. It's part and parcel of being the member of a clan."

"But…even with that, they would have only been genin-level at best!" Haku said, trying to understand the situation, "What possible good would they have been."

"From what my sensei told me, a hell of a lot." Zabuza replied, "They lured shinobi into traps and self-destructed using paper bombs, activated defences and, in general, got in the way while the actual Uzushiogakure shinobi faced the invaders head on.

The one shinobi that caused the most trouble for the invaders was the Uzukage, Uzumaki Tatsuya. He was a match for any of the previous generation of Seven Swordsmen of the Mist in terms of pure swordsmanship, and a match for any of the Five Kage in pure ninjutsu. He sallied forth numerous times, slaying countless shinobi of Kiri and Kumo each time he did so. It took three days of bloody fighting for the Allied forces to corner him, and when they did…"

Zabuza shoo his head in amusement. "They went about it really stupidly. He took out three hundred shinobi with a life sacrifice jutsu when it became obvious that he was one of the few remaining Uzumaki. All in all, three-quarters of the Kiri, Kumo and Iwa combined army lay dead among the ruins of Uzushiogakure."

Silence settled between the two of them as Haku processed what Zabuza's words.

"So is that why you reacted so strongly to the Uzumaki name? Because of the carnage they caused among the Kiri-nins?" she asked finally.

"Hell no." Zabuza snorted, "Give me _some_ credit, Haku. No, the reason I am concerned about the genin kunoichi is that only a single member of the Uzumaki Clan escaped the slaughter: Uzumaki Kushina. She was apparently a nightmare to fight during the Third Great War."

"A single Kunoichi?" Haku asked in disbelief.

"A single, _S-Rank _kunoichi with one _hell_ of an axe to grind against Kiri and Kumo." Zabuza corrected her, "Somehow, I don't know how, she knew that Kiri and Kumo were the ones largely responsible for the slaughter of her clan and pursued their shinobi relentlessly during the war, especially the more prominent shinobi.

She fought and defeated all members of the last generation of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, of whom only my sensei and Suikazan Fuguki, the previous wielder of Samehada (Sharkskin), managed to fight on relatively even terms with her, but even then, she defeated them."

"Did your sensei say how?" Haku asked.

"Ah, that's the thing." Zabuza nodded, "He said that she was far more powerful than him and her kenjutsu was vastly superior to his own, which is hard to believe, considering the wielders of Kubikiribōchō are usually the best at kenjutsu out of all of the Seven Swordsmen. Anyway, Kushina killed so many shinobi that she became known as the 'Bloody Crimson Death', and her sword was feared as Benihime, as it wept crimson blood from all of the enemies she cut down with it."

Haku stared at her master as she once again tried to wrap her mind around the new fact presented to her. Someone had outclassed Zabuza's sensei in terms of pure swordsmanship, which she had thought impossible. Even although Ikura Sekiryū had not been nearly as skilled as his student Zabuza, he had still been far above almost all of the shinobi in Mizu no Kuni in terms of skill.

"Kushina-san sounds like she is a formidable warrior." Haku opined.

"_Was_, Haku." Zabuza said softly, "She died when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha twelve years ago, or so the rumours say."

Haku winced. The Bijū were ferocious when aroused to the heights of their rage, and the Kyuubi had caused so much destruction to Konoha that stories were still whispered of the elemental fury of the nine-tailed demon's rampage.

"Tell me Haku, how old did Uzumaki Naruko look?" the Swordsman asked.

"Eleven or twelve…" Haku replied slowly, her sharp mind homing in on the probable reason for this question. "Zabuza-sama, you don't think…?"

Zabuza nodded grimly. "She's around the right age to have been born shortly before Kushina was killed. Uzumaki Naruko is likely the daughter of the Bloody Crimson Death. And if she's anything like her mother, she'll try to come for my head."

"Why?" Haku asked in confusion.

"The leaders of the Kirigakure contingent of the force that destroyed her Clan were the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Zabuza informed her, "Ikura-sensei told me that himself."

"But…but that has nothing to do with you!" Haku protested, "You would have only just massacred your classmates at the Academy when Uzushiogakure was destroyed!"

"For the purposes of debts owed, all who become successors to the Seven Swords of the Mist are considered to be one and the same." Zabuza replied with a shrug, "Somehow, her mother knew about the details of Uzushiogakure's defeat, and I don't doubt that she left that source to her daughter. Whether or not she comes after me, we will have to be careful with her as well. Uzumaki are the worst opponents to fight, as they do not know when they are beaten. They fight until they are well and truly dead."

"As you say, Zabuza-sama." Haku bowed, "I should prepare breakfast now."

"Something _other_ than rice and miso soup, please?" Zabuza asked half-heartedly.

"You need to have a bland diet while the drugs I had on the senbon I struck you with work themselves from you system, Zabuza-sama." Haku reminded him, "Not to mention the new medicine you have to take for the rest of this week."

"Bah!" Zabuza grumbled as Haku walked off, "That girl acts like a damn housewife whenever we settle down for a while. Where the hell did she pick _that_ up from?"

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**One Hour Later**

**Clearing Near Tazuna's House**

"So, ya got her then?" Anko asked Hinata as the Hyuuga Heiress ran through a kata of her Jūho.

Hinata squeaked and hurriedly looked around. Sakura and Ino were still trying to walk on water alongside a couple of hundred Naruko clones, while the original Naruko sat on the ground, drawing something on a scroll with a brush.

On the far side of the clearing, Sasuke was still being owned by a tree, while Kakashi stood and read his Icha-Icha book, which he had stolen back from Anko. Kurenai, Akamaru and Kiba were guarding Tazuna at work today.

"H-Hai." the young Heiress replied shyly, her face blushing prettily.

"Well good for you!" the Snake Mistress grinned at her, then frowning as she saw a slightly depressed look on Hinata's face, "OK, what's up?"

"She w-wants us to keep our relationship a-a secret." Hinata replied softly as she continued her kata, "S-She says that people would think she…b-broke me…like she b-broke the new gate guards a-at the compound."

"Huh. True that." Anko conceded, "So I guess that means no fun time in the bushes last night?"

Hinata's blush became a glowing red as she shook her head vigorously. "She s-says we aren't going to do…_that_…until she's sure she w-won't break Me." she said wistfully.

"So if she had torn your clothes off and made you scream her name from pleasure, you wouldn't have minded?" Anko leered at her.

"N-No." Hinata admitted with an even redder blush, "B-But I c-can wait. I waited four years for Naruko-chan to be my g-girlfriend, so a l-little longer isn't so bad…"

"Got an idea for that." Anko remarked, "You do know that Flower Girl's got a crush on Naru-chan, right?"

"I could tell that back in Konoha." Hinata muttered irritably as she moved smoothly into another, more aggressive-looking kata, "S-She's bisexual like you a-and Naruko-chan, I suppose?"

"Yep. She tore off after you two yesterday, heard your confession and saw you two kiss." Anko said casually, making Hinata 'eep' in embarrassment, "Yeah, she was in tears after that. I punished her for disobeying orders with a wee bit of bondage. She's so sensitive that she could barely finish a set of that taijutsu style that Naruko gave her before she had to rest."

Hinata's face was steadily becoming redder as the Tokujo spoke. "S-so?"

"_So_, she can't just stay like that!" Anko chided her, "As I told her yesterday, what if she was captured by the enemy? She would be broken in five minutes with that sensitive body. I'm going to ask Hokage-sama to include Flower Girl in Naru-chan's Injutsu training. If you want, I can put in a request for you to be included too."

Hinata stared at Anko for a moment, eyes wide. "B-But Oto-sama would _never_-!"

"I think he would." Anko told her, "At least, once I have a chance to persuade him. I can be _very_ persuasive when I want to be, especially when it is a _man_ I'm persuading."

Upon hearing this, Hinata's face turned green as she realised what Anko meant. "A-Ano…please don't seduce my father…or if you do, p-_please_ put up silencing seals."

Anko stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "Hahahahaha! Girl, I _like_ you." she snorted in amusement, "But no, I won't seduce your old man. It would be against the rules. I'd just flirt a bit, y'know the whole 'feminine wiles' routine."

"Thank kami!" Hinata muttered in heartfelt thanks. Parent sex…_ew_.

"You never answered my question, Nata-chan." Anko pointed out, ignoring the girl's muttering, "If I put your name in for Injutsu training, would you accept it?"

"I…I want to be with Naruko-chan." Hinata said after a moment, "I-In every way possible. I w-would accept, although the fact that I would have to share her with Ino-chan, as well as you, isn't sitting well with me, Anko-sensei."

"Ah, so she told you about that then." Anko nodded to herself, "She isn't far off learning everything I have to teach her. Call it two months, two and a half tops. Then Naruko can take over indoctri- pardon _me, instructing_ you and Flower Girl. Sound good?"

Hinata peered suspiciously at Anko for a moment before nodding. She had a feeling Anko had something devious up her sleeve, but couldn't figure out what it was. The Heiress had a bad feeling that she would find out when it was too late.

"Excellent." Anko nodded approvingly, "Now that we've made arrangements, I'll go over and bug Naru-chan. I wonder what she's working on…?"

The Snake Mistress wandered over to Naruko, who looked up with a grin at her lover.

"Yo, An-chan." she greeted Anko, "What the heck were you saying to Hinata-chan? She was turning every colour of the rainbow from what I could see from a couple of my clones' memories."

"Teased her about seducing her old man." Anko replied with a grin.

"Ewww!" Naruko pulled a face as she replied, "OK, that was a disgusting image I _really_ didn't need in my mind, An-chan."

"Niiiinja." Anko shot back, "What're you working on there, Naru-chan?"

"Hmmm…? Oh, this is an Fūinjutsu that I found in the Clan Library." Naruko said as she gestured with her brush at the scroll, "I was thinking about adding it to Tazuna's bridge once he finishes it."

"What does it do?" Anko asked curiously.

"It was developed for areas like this, on the coast with constant tidal waves." Naruko replied, "When carved into a structure, like a bridge, in constant contact with the tides, it strengthens the overall structure depending on the strength of the waves."

"So during a typhoon or tsunami, it would be all but impervious!" Anko breathed in awe.

"Yep. Even better, it converts the physical impacts of the waves into chakra in order to power it." Naruko added with glee, "It only needs a single point of activation, so it can be put where invaders can't touch it."

"What's it called?" Anko asked.

"_**Uzumaki **__**Fūin**__**jutsu: Uzumaki Izoku (Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Spiralling Survivor)**_" Naruko replied, "There was only one bridge in and out of Uzu no Shima (Island of Whirlpools) and, because of its immense age and size, it was covered in this Fūinjutsu."

"Can you really create it though?" Anko asked in concern, "I mean this looks very complex? And didn't Hokage-sama ask you to work on master another seal?"

"The _**Koware Kyōkai **__**Fūin**_, yes." Naruko agreed, "I am working on both of them simultaneously. As to the complexity of the seal, this one is actually easier than the one Ji-chan wants me to master. The actual size of the _**Uzumaki Izoku Fūin**_ is a meter square before the actual sealing is activated, meaning that while it looks more complex, it is far easier to work with. Give me till the end of the week and my clones'll have it thrashed out."

"So what are your clones working on while you're doodling?" Anko asked Naruko as she plopped herself down next to the blond kunoichi.

"I've got fifty working on _**Katon Renkeijutsu: Karura no Jutsu**_, fifty working on _**Ninpo: Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_, fifty working on _**Doton: Doro Kawara no Jutsu**_ and another fifty working on _**Ninpo: Tajū Gen'ei Shuriken no Jutsu**_." Naruko replied after glaring at Anko for the 'doodling' comment, "That's _in addition _to the hundred each I have assigned to both of the Fūinjutsu projects, the hundred I have out there on the water and the twenty I have shadowing Kurenai-sensei as an emergency reinforcement group."

"You shouldn't spread yourself so thin, Naru-chan." Anko scolded her, "The Katon and Doton will take forever for you to learn because they aren't your elements."

"Nah, the Doton is only a D-Rank Jutsu." Naruko disagreed, "I just have to try and make as many as I can with a set amount of chakra. As for the Katon, while it is a convoluted co-operation jutsu, it is, at best, a High C-Rank. I remember when Kakashi-sensei saved me from those Taki kunoichi; he stopped it with a basic _**Doryūheki**_. It looks cool, but it's actually best used as a distraction rather than an actual attack."

"Didn't the old man give you another jutsu?" Anko wondered aloud.

"Yep. _**Ninpo: Kawara Shuriken no Jutsu**_." Naruko nodded as she put the finishing touch to the intricate seal array on the scroll in front of her, "I'm going to wait until I've mastered _**Doro Kawara**_ so I can practice it without stealing roof tiles off of people's homes."

"What'll you do after that though?" Anko pressed.

"I'll focus on mastering all of the jutsu I know right now." Naruko said firmly, "I can use them alright, but I haven't _mastered_ any of them other than _**Teppōdama**_ and _**Reppūshō**_. Besides, this way I can help Hinata-chan and Ino-chan with their jutsu. Everyone wins."

Anko looked at Naruko for a moment with respect. Not too many genin would make that choice. Most assumed that using a jutsu meant that they had mastered it, but that was wrong. Mastering a jutsu meant you could freely use it at full power and at command, with either _no_ handsigns or a _reduced amount _of handsigns.

There were a surprising number of shinobi that were stupid that way, like that idiot Jonin Ebisu, who preached frequently about the thousand jutsu that all Hokage were required to know and how the number of jutsu an shinobi knew determined the quality of said ninja.

Pure hogwash, but people actually listened to him for some highly improbable reason.

"Good girl, Naru-chan!" Anko said with a wide grin. She reached over and ruffled the Uzumaki Heiress's hair, which earned her a mild glower from Naruko. She hated it when people did that. The only two people who got a free pass in that regard were Sarutobi Hiruzen and Umino Iruka.

"Ack! Gerroff, An-chan!" Naruko grumbled, swiping at the arm that was messing up her hair as she spoke.

"Nope. Not unless you agree to help me with Flower Girl and Pinkie over there." Anko replied, nodding towards Ino and Sakura, who were taking a break from their Water Walking training.

"Help how?" Naruko asked suspiciously.

"I'm going to teach Flower Girl a Suiton Jutsu, one that you'll be able to advise her on." Anko explained, "Might teach it to the Pinkie as well if her element matches up."

"Kakashi-sensei hasn't taught her any ninjutsu, just genjutsu." Naruko pointed out, "I doubt he bothered to check what her element was. Do you have any of that chakra paper on you?"

"Just one piece." Anko replied, "Well, one's enough. So, will you help me out?"

"Sure." Naruko shrugged as she rolled up the scroll in front of her and put it inside her coat, "My clones are doing all of the hard work right now, so I might as well put some effort into something myself."

"That's the spirit!" Anko said cheerfully, "Now, onward to tortur- pardon me, _teach_ some students!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - After Dinner**

**The Jetty, Tazuna's House**

Naruko sat at the end of the wooden pier and relaxed in the cool sea breeze. She wasn't wearing her trench coat, leaving her arms exposed. Her long ponytail fluttered in the breeze as she stared across the water.

Sakura and Ino were both exhausted from the jutsu training she and Anko had put them through. Sakura, as it turns out, was a Primary Water and Secondary Lightening Element, which spoke well for the combination jutsu she could use in the future.

The jutsu Anko taught the two of them was one that Zabuza had used against Team 7 on the way to Nami no Kuni, _**Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Clone Jutsu)**_.

Similar to the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_, it creates clones. As the name suggests, _**Mizu Bunshin **_were made from water, meaning they could only use non-elemental and Suiton jutsu. They were also a hell of a lot more limited than Shadow Clones, restricted to a maximum distance from the creator or they'd dissolve into water, as well as being only one tenth as strong as the original.

Ino, with her previous experience with Suiton jutsu, managed to get results first, a vague blob that collapsed after a second. Sakura wasn't too far off with her own indistinct blob that collapsed just as fast as Ino's attempt.

Naruko told them what their problem was: they weren't visualising themselves properly. She had learned that when she had been learning the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_. In order to create an actual solid clone, as opposed to a basic illusion clone, you had to imagine yourself in as much detail as was possible before actually pushing chakra into the jutsu.

Once they had been imparted with that advice, the two rivals had challenged Naruko to prove it and use the jutsu. She had performed it, creating twenty _**Mizu Bunshin **_before ending the jutsu. She had had to create that many; otherwise, they would have been overloaded with chakra and dissolved.

After they picked their jaws up from the ground, Ino and Sakura spent a while perfecting their mental images of themselves before attempting the jutsu again, this time forming a single clone each that lasted about twenty seconds each.

Naruko smiled as she remembered the consternation that had appeared on Ino and Sakura's faces when they were informed that the clones lasted only as long as the amount of chakra they had lasted.

A creak from one of the boards behind her put Naruko on alert, and then she relaxed as she felt no chakra behind her. She wasn't a sensor by any means, but all ninja could sense chakra to some degree or other.

"Inari-kun." she said aloud, guessing who it was from the slow, short treading that the person was making.

Plus, Tazuna was _far_ too clumsy to walk as stealthily as the person behind her was being.

"How'd you know it was me?" Inari asked curiously.

"I felt no chakra, Tsunami-san wouldn't try and sneak up on me and Tazuna-san is too clumsy to try and sneak up on someone." Naruko answered, "That left you. What can I do for you, Inari-kun?"

"I…" Inari started before faltering.

"Have a seat." Naruko gestured to the wooden board next to her. Reluctantly, the young boy sat next to her, sneaking glances at her as he fidgeted where he sat.

"It's alright." Naruko said softly, making Inari freeze, "I don't blame you for what you said last night. You're a young civilian boy who suffered a crushing loss. I'd have to be a pretty petty person to hold what you said against you after I cooled down."

"I'm sorry." Inari mumbled, "I just…I want to know how you can endure things without crying."

"I don't." Naruko replied softly, "When things get tough, I do cry. I just don't let it paralyze me. Once I finish crying, I stand up and try again, and again, and again, until I accomplish what I set out to do. It isn't easy, but it works."

The silence between them was only broken by the quiet lapping of the waves on the wooden supports of the jetty.

"I still don't understand…why do you want to become the ruler of a place that treats you like that?" Inari asked at last.

"Part of it is slightly petty." Naruko admitted with a small grin, "I want to rub it in to those who sneered at me that I succeeded. _Despite_ their best efforts to stop me."

Inari giggled a little at that.

"A larger part of it is, I actually understand why they do it." Naruko continued, "You've never felt the Kyuubi. Well, neither have I for that matter, but from what I've been told, the loss of life and destruction it wrought was…awful. Those who lost loved ones needed someone to hate, someone to blame for it all. I was just the one who was unlucky enough to be selected as the focus of all that anger."

She silently sent apologies to the Kyuubi for calling him an it. He snorted indifferently at her but accepted them.

"If I keep going, proving to them beyond all doubt that I am not the fox, I will have overcome their hatred, destroying it utterly." Naruko said firmly as she gazed across the sea, "That is an accomplishment in ad of itself, wouldn't you say?"

"I…yes, I think so." Inari said slowly.

"The final reason is…I don't want to be forgotten." Naruko admitted quietly, "Before I found out about my Clan, I wanted to be remembered. How better to be remembered than to have your face carved onto a mountain, right? I can't have kids, so that was the only thing I could hope for."

Inari looked at her solemnly, listening intently.

"When I found out about my Clan…it just made me more determined than ever." Naruko continued, "My Clan was destroyed over twenty years ago, but before that, they were one of the most powerful in all of the Elemental Nations. For the Uzumaki, their history, their power, to end with me…I can't change that, but I _can_ ensure that through me, they will be remembered, as long as Konoha exists, as being _my_ Clan, a Clan that produced one of the Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato."

The young boy looked at her for a moment. "You're so strong." he whispered, "I don't think I could be as strong in your shoes."

"I wouldn't wish my situation on anybody else." Naruko smirked bitterly at Inari, "But you have your own situation. There are two questions you have to ask yourself. The first is, do you want to be strong?"

"I…I do." Inari answered after a moment.

"Good. The next question is why do you want to be strong?" Naruko asked.

A look of confusion crossed Inari's face. "Does it matter?"

"You would be surprised how much it might matter." Naruko replied as she nonchalantly made a couple of Shadow Clones and watched as they began sparring across the water's surface, "Sasuke-teme, the black-haired broody one, wants to become strong to avenge his Clan. Tenten-san, a sempai of mine back in Konoha, wants to become strong to prove that kunoichi can be just as strong as ninja. As for me…I just want to be strong enough to accomplish my dream and protect those who are precious to me and those who need my help."

Seeing Inari's confusion, Naruko expanded on what she said.

"To give an example, Sasuke-teme doesn't care how he gets strong or who makes him strong, as long as he does actually become strong. He would jump at the chance to learn even half of the jutsu I know, simply because he would become that much stronger because of it. He wouldn't care about who got hurt in the meantime or what strings might be attached to it, as long as he became strong." Naruko said, "Does he sound like someone you would entrust with power?"

"N…No." Inari answered, "He…kinda sounds like Gatō."

"Sasuke-teme isn't as…evil… as that midget bastard." Naruko said slowly, trying to find the right words, "He's more…ruthless and implacable than evil, but your point is well made."

Glancing at Inari, Naruko grinned as she asked, "So then Inari-kun…_why_ do you want to become strong?"

The boy sat and thought hard for a moment. It was a harder question than you might think, despite the simplicity of what it asked of a person.

"I want to get strong…because I want to prevent someone like Gatō from hurting Nami no Kuni again." Inari said at last, "I wanna be able to stop people from being hurt. Being powerless when that happens…is the worst feeling ever."

Naruko's grin widened. "So you want to be able to protect people." she muttered, "You're like Shisui-nii."

"O-one of the guys who saved you when you were seven?" Inari asked.

"Yep." Naruko replied, "He carried me to the hospital while Itachi-nii went to tell my Ji-chan I was in the hospital. When he put me in a bed, I asked him why he saved me; he told me 'I help everyone I can reach out to. That's why I became strong.'"

"Wow…" Inari said, his mind taking in what Naruko had told him, "Did he?"

"Right up until he died, Uchiha Shisui did everything he could to help others. At least, according to my Ji-chan." Naruko replied with a smile.

"How can I become strong?" Inari asked, returning to their original topic.

"I can show you a few basic punches and stuff for emergencies." Naruko offered, "It won't be much, but no one will expect a kid like you to know that kind of thing, no offence."

"None taken." Inari replied, "You'd really teach me stuff?"

"Sure. On one condition." Naruko replied, "Never again let sadness overcome you like it has for the last two years. Deal?"

"Deal!" Inari said.

"_OK_ then!" Naruko clapped happily as she stood up and beckoned Inari to follow her, "Now the first thing I'm going to teach you is how to fight someone bigger than you are…"

As the two moved off towards the far side of the clearing, a figure appeared from behind a shimmering disturbance in the air, raven black hair whipping in the light breeze.

"Looks like I didn't have to worry about the two of them after all." Kurenai muttered before she vanished in a _**Konoha Shunshin**_.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The Next Day**

**Hokage's office, Konohagakure**

Hiruzen Sarutobi stared across his desk at one Yanagi Gozaburo and his daughter, Yanagi Sae. Rather, his only _living _daughter.

Sarutobi did sympathise with the man for that. It was never easy to lose a child. Biwako had given birth to a stillborn girl between his eldest son Asahi and his youngest son Asuma and it had been traumatising to both of them.

"So then, Gozaburo-san." he began, "I understand from everything my ANBU have reported that you and your daughter Sae-san are the last living members of the Yanagi Clan."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Gozaburo replied as he leaned on a roughly cut wooden cane, "All of the others died in the flames that consumed Morimura Forest. It was only due to the assistance of your ANBU teams that all of my people managed to get as they did, which I must thank you for."

Sarutobi nodded, acknowledging the subtle point. While now bereft of his home and his Clan, Gozaburo still had people who looked to him for leadership, meaning he still had responsibilities.

"They did their duty." he replied, "I have also read the reports given by Team 8, especially the one written by Uzumaki Naruko. Putting it all together, it sounds like the last decade or so has been…hell on earth for your people, frankly speaking. Have they given any indication where they wish to go after they have recuperated?"

"From what Shin'ichi-san has told me, they seem willing to trust my judgement on the matter." Gozaburo replied tiredly, "I will understand if you do not wish for the Yanagi Clan to move to Konoha, but I would ask you to hear me out."

The Sandaime leaned back in his chair and gestured with one hand. "By all means. I understand that Naruko has given you an Uzumaki _**Yūjō no Akashi (Proof of Friendship)**_ mark, which makes me inclined to accept you anyway, but please, continue."

This time Sae spoke up. "Hokage-sama, from what Uzumaki-san has told us, you are somewhat bereft of Sealmasters in Konoha at the moment. We would be glad to lend our talents in this regard."

"Ohhh?" Sarutobi said, "What level are you both at?"

"Apprentice Sealmasters only, I'm afraid." Gozaburo replied, "Officially, that is. Sae-chan was forced to expand her knowledge with a considerable amount of dangerous and experimental seals by her sister. As such, I would ask that she be officially evaluated."

"That can be arranged." Sarutobi replied, "I will require her to undergo a memory scan to ensure that she doesn't plan on recreating any of the plans of her sister here in Konoha, however."

"By a Yamanaka, I presume." Gozaburo sighed, "An understandable precaution. Agreed."

"It says in Naruko's report that you turned over the last of your Clan Heirlooms to her." Sarutobi noted, "She's unsure whether to add it to her gauntlet or not."

"I gave Ryūshi to her explicitly for that purpose." Sae replied, "That gauntlet of hers is amazing. The Fūinjutsu on it must be so intricate…"

"And _entirely_ unintentional, I assure you." Sarutobi said wryly, "Now then, your offer of the use of your talents as Sealmasters is hereby accepted. I will allocate you a small compound near Naruko's own so you may feel secure. As you contributed in part to a situation that threatened Hi no Kuni, albeit unwillingly, I decree that one mission's pay out of every three missions issued to you will be donated to the Orphans and Widows Fund, and you will submit to fortnightly inspections of your residence for the next two years, at which time I, or the next Hokage, if I am lucky enough to find a successor, will reassess the situation."

"Thank you, Hokage-sama." Gozaburo inclined his head, "I promise you that you will not regret this."

"For both your sakes, I sincerely hope that proves to be true." Sarutobi said firmly.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Lunchtime**

**Zabuza's Hideout**

"Zabuza-sama, Gatō is approaching with his two 'samurai' bodyguards." Haku reported as she appeared in his room via her _**Hyōshō Kagami Shunshin (Ice-Crystal Mirror Body Flicker)**_.

Zabuza groaned as he prepared himself for another dose of the Midget from Hell. The little prick was seriously deluded if he thought Zabuza would simply walk away after completing his contract without exacting a suitable revenge for daring to speak to him with such rudeness.

"How long till the three stooges get here?" Zabuza asked.

"Less than three minutes." Haku replied.

"Conceal yourself on the wall above the door, Haku." Zabuza ordered, "His bodyguards are pure crap and never look above their own height. Intervene if they try anything stupid."

"By your command, Zabuza-sama." the last living member of the Yuki Clan walked up the wall and then across it to perch like a very pretty gargoyle above the door, keeping her breathing to a minimum.

Less than two minutes later, the so-called Nami no Kuni no Bōkun (Tyrant of Wave Country) stomped into the room, followed lazily by his two bodyguards, Zōri and Waraji.

Gatō was a small man, barely five feet tall, who wore an expensive-looking black suit, with a yellow silk shirt and a purple tie. His hair was a mousy brown that puffed up in the perpetual humidity of Nami no Kuni his round glasses flashed as he glared at Zabuza, his grip on a black cane tightening to the point his knuckles were white.

The two bodyguards were your better class of thug. Presentable and better skilled than average, but still not very bright. Zōri was of medium height with blue hair, tear tattoos under his eyes, wore a light blue jacket and trousers and had a blue-handled katana at his waist.

Waraji looked around with a cruel smirk on his face. He had an eye patch and his hair was worn in a slightly altered samurai topknot. He wore a loose-fitting kimono with the top half falling loose, exposing his entire upper body. He had a long and intricate vine tattoo on his left arm and left-hand chest.

"Zabuza!" the business tycoon snarled, "Why the hell isn't Tazuna dead yet?!"

"He hired a genin team to guard him." Zabuza replied, "The Jonin-sensei is Hatake Kakashi, a hero of the Third Great Shinobi War. He is a low S-Rank Ninja. I am a mid-A Rank Nuke-nin. Without a plan, I can't beat him and kill the bridge builder."

"Tch. Yer useless!" the midget snarled, "What the hell am I paying you for!?"

"Just for your information, Gatō, but you haven't paid me yet." Zabuza reminded the idiot, "The injuries I incurred will be healed up by the end of the week. I'll go and kill the bridge builder then. You only have to be patient for that long. _Surely_ an _astute businessman _such as you can exercise _that_ much patience?"

"Watch yer mouth Zabuza!" Gatō warned the Demon of the Bloody Mist, "Yer failures are beginin' ta try my patience. Fail again and yer not getting paid!"

Zabuza growled. "Try it, Gatō. I just _dare_ you to!"

The Tyrant, shifted in place uneasily as Zabuza directed a very mild amount of his killing intent at him. Zōri and Waraji placed their hands on the handles of their katana in case Zabuza threatened their employer physically.

"You are used to dealing with common trash like those two morons behind you, Gatō." the Nuke-nin ground out, "Dealing with shinobi is quite a different game altogether. I am warning you now; double-cross me or try and renege on our deal in any way, shape or form and you will see _exactly_ _why_ it is that they call me the Demon of the Bloody Mist!"

"Sh-shut yer trap!" Gatō snarled defiantly and raised his cane to strike at Zabuza.

Haku threw a cluster of senbon into the small man's arm, making him scream in pain and drop his cane. The bodyguards tried to draw their swords, but the kunoichi hit each of them with a single senbon that struck a pressure point that relaxed all of their muscles, making them flop to the floor with surprised grunts.

"You!" Gatō screamed when Haku dropped down to the floor, "You! How dare you attack me!?"

"How dare _you_ attempt to attack my master, scum?" Haku said coldly, "Be grateful that you never actually struck him, or you would not be getting off so lightly!"

The pint-sized Shipping Magnate glared at her in hatred before whirling back around to face Zabuza.

"Yer both gonna regret this, so once the bridge builder's dead and yer paid, get outta Nami!" he snarled at Zabuza.

"That was my plan from the get-go." the Nuke-nin deadpanned, "Haku, undo the relaxant pressure point on the two dumbass 'samurai' so they can stagger out of here after their boss."

Reluctantly, the kunoichi obeyed, removing the senbon that kept the two bodyguards immobile. The two thugs staggered to their feet, glaring at Haku the entire time.

"Your fine motor control will be spotty for the next day or so." Haku informed them blandly, "Kindly leave here now before I am tempted to do something far more permanent to you both."

Zōri was smart enough to look worried. Waraji on the other hand sneered again and made to draw his sword.

"Stop!" Gatō bellowed at the man, "We are outta here before I bleed to death! Move it!"

He stomped past his two bodyguards, cradling his injured arm pathetically, and out the door. With one final glower, the two swordsmen followed their employer, closing the door with a bang.

After waiting to make sure the three idiots were gone, Haku said, "Zabuza-sama, Gatō is far too confident. His body language practically screamed that he has a plan to eliminate us."

"Probably." Zabuza snorted, "The little shit is nothing if not sneaky and underhanded. Thing is, there aren't any Nuke-nin but me in Nami no Kuni meaning that the only real threats to us on this entire archipelago are the Konohagakure shinobi, so I'm wondering why the pipsqueak is so confident."

"Should I investigate, Zabuza-sama?"

"No. Regardless of what the shrimp thinks he can do to us, it doesn't hold a candle to what we can do to him." Zabuza replied as he settled back on his bed, "After we take care of the Konoha shinobi and the bridge builder, we'll get paid and then cut the little weasel into pieces before we leave the island. _Then_ we can start to realise my ambitions."

"Slay Yagura and liberate Mizu no Kuni, ending the Bloodline Purges once and for all." Haku whispered. That was his desire, his ambition. Haku followed him as his loyal tool in order for him to realise that ambition. It was a worthy goal, one that Haku desired also, so she would fight to the last to ensure that he succeeded.

Whatever the cost to herself or others.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - Half an Hour Later**

**Gatō's Private Office, Gatō's Mansion**

"That bastardised son of a bitch!" Gatō screamed in a fury.

The short Shipping Magnate was pacing back and forth across his office, his wounded arm bandaged up by his personal physician. Leaning against the wall were his two bodyguards who were fighting to regain control of their fine motor control after being paralyzed by Haku.

"That is _it_! The _last_ damn _straw_! They are _dead_!" the midget ranted, "_No one _injures me and gets away with it! They were going to be killed anyway, but this is just the cherry on top of the fucking sundae!"

He whirled around and snapped at Waraji, "How many men can we have gathered by the end of the week?"

The cyclopean bodyguard shrugged lazily. "Hmmm… 'bout two, maybe three hundred? _If_ you're generous with cash and are willing ta take some of the _real_ gutter scum."

"Good." Gatō's eyes gleamed maliciously behind his glasses, "Zōri, on the day that those soon-to-be-dead Nuke-nin go to kill the bridge builder, I want you and Waraji to go and kidnap Tazuna's bitch and brat. A little extra leverage never hurt."

"Got it boss." Zōri nodded, "What if the genin are around?"

"Kill 'em." Gatō said coldly, with the air of a man choosing what pair of shoes to wear, "Last thing we need are shinobi brats running around the islands once Tazuna's dead."

"Hope the brats do show up." Waraji grunted, "I haven't faced a worthy opponent in a while. Hope those wannabe warriors have some fight in 'em."

"Whether they are fighters or cowards, kill them." Gatō ordered.

"Fine, fine." Waraji groused.

"Good. Now I need to deal with this paperwork, so make sure no one disturbs me unless it's important." Gatō waved the two toughs out the door as he sat at his desk.

As he sat and worked his way through the paperwork that allowed him a total monopoly over the shipping trade in and out of Nami no Kuni, his mind wandered, remembering his early life.

Gatō had been born to a very, _very_ modest home in Kiba no Kuni. His father worked a dead end job and his mother was a waitress at a shop that sold dango. He had seen all the rich people on the other side of town and thought to himself, '_I want some of that._'

Forty years later, here he was, a success. It had been a hard uphill struggle to get this far, along with a few pitfalls and near misses along the way, but finally, at long last, he would never have to worry about something possibly going wrong and ending up with him being thrown out of his homes and businesses.

This was the culmination of forty years of hard work, bribery, blackmail murder and extortion. He would take full and absolute control of Nami no Kuni and turn it into his own country…although he still hadn't decided on a name for it yet.

He would have preferred to have taken over the former Uzu no Kuni, but the Uzumaki's outermost defences, which had mysteriously been inactive during the invasion, had reactivated after the remains of the invasion force had withdrawn, including the ring of impassable whirlpools, eddies and lashing waves that prevented any ships from coming close to the island, never mind landing on it.

'_This archipelago is in the palm of my hand._' the short man thought smugly, '_All I have to do is close my hand and it will be mine. No sake-drenched old fool will stop me!_"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Timeskip - The End of the Week**

**Morning**

**Clearing Near Tazuna's House**

"Ino! Hinata! Where's Naruko?" Kurenai called. She stood at the far side of the clearing, watching five of the six genin walk towards her after a short morning training session to get them warmed up, as today was the first day possible for Zabuza to launch an attack on Tazuna.

"She spent all of last night training again." Ino replied, "She's asleep in the house."

Kurenai shook her head. "She spends far too much time training. At this rate, her body won't be able to take the strain."

"Nai-chan, she'll be fine." Anko said from behind the raven-haired kunoichi, "I remember her mother training like this when I was a kid. She was just fine after a good sleep."

"That's true." Kakashi put in from the tree he was leaning against as he read his little orange book, "Kushina-nee-san was a stamina freak just like Naruko. She bounced back from a twenty-four hour training session after a good sleep, just like Anko said."

"Did you know Naruko-chan's mother well then, Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked curiously as the five genin and three jonin joined Tazuna in walking towards the bridge's construction site.

"Yes, I did." Kakashi said softly, "She helped the Yondaime Hokage train my genin team."

"What was she like?" Kiba asked.

"Hmmm…in a word…confident." Kakashi replied thoughtfully, "She would happily wade into a fight as an Academy Student against a seasoned Genin, knowing that she would emerge as the winner. She had a smirk I've seen on Naruko a couple of times, a smirk that was full of mischief and practically screamed defiance to anyone who tried to force her to fit their preconceptions."

"Sounds like Naruko-chan to the 'T'." Ino remarked.

"She _is_ very much like her mother." Kakashi conceded, "But she is also very different in some ways. Kushina-nee-san wasn't very good at ninjutsu, so she focused on her taijutsu and kenjutsu, whereas Naruko seems to be very good with her ninjutsu, as well as quite good at her _**Ushio-ken**_ taijutsu. Has she started learning the _**Kai**__**ryūjin-Ryū**_ _**(Sea Dragon God Style)**_ sword style that her mother used?"

"No, not yet." Anko replied, "She's learned the basic stances of the _**Konoha Kenjutsu **_style and a few tricks with her chakra to go along with it, but even with Shadow Clones there is only so much she can learn in three months."

"A fair point." Kakashi said, "Let her know that if she wants to spar against someone, I learned some of the basics of the style, so I can give her a hand in learning it."

"That's very good of you Kakashi." Kurenai said in surprise.

"I owe her mother." the cyclopean ninja replied with a shrug as they neared the bridge, "She saved my life more than once during the Third Great Shinobi War."

Tazuna cut any further conversation short by sighting the sprawled bodies of the bridge workers in heaps across the bridge.

"Giichi! Ryūto! What happened?!" he cried as he knelt beside two of them. They were covered in shallow cuts from a large sword and had several senbon sticking from their bodies.

"D-Demon…a demon came f-from the…mist…" one of them stammered out.

"Zabuza!" Kakashi growled. He glared towards the mist that enveloped the bridge and seemed to be encroaching on their position.

"Ah, Kakashi! How nice to see you again!" a mocking voice came from the mist as the silhouette of a man with a huge sword strapped to his pack emerged to stand before them. Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Bloody Mist.

With a splash, the Demon Brothers, Gōzu and Meizu, emerged from a puddle of water, having evidentially hidden there using _**Suiton: Mizugakure no Jutsu (Water Style: Hidden in Water Jutsu)**_. A long chain connected their clawed gauntlets with sharpened edges.

Finally, a figure in the uniform and mask of a Kirigakure Oinin appeared in a _**Konoha Shunshin**_ and stood in a deferential position next to Zabuza, clearly indicating their loyalty.

"Zabuza, back for more, I see." Kakashi said disdainfully, "I see you brought your groupies with you…or would that be fan boys?"

The Demon Brothers glared at Kakashi for that.

"Last chance, Kakashi." Zabuza said, ignoring the Copy Ninja's taunt, "Hand the bridge builder over now and you can just walk away, or else."

"Sorry, that isn't happening." Kakashi replied as he reached up and grabbed his hitai-ate, "Kids, guard Tazuna. Anko, take the fake Oinin. Kurenai, with me."

"Oh? The Genjutsu Mistress _and_ the Snake Mistress both." Zabuza said, "I am honoured that Konoha sees me as a large enough threat to dispatch two jonin as reinforcements against me. It won't be enough though. Haku, take on the Snake Mistress. Gōzu, Meizu, take care of the brat pack. I'll handle these two myself…"

And so it was that the battle of the Nami no Kuni bridge began.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: A Bridge Too Far**

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	22. A Bridge Too Far

**Author's Note: A belated Merry Christmas and Happy Hogmanay to you all!**

**My Apologies for such a long break between chapters; as an apology, here is my longest chapter yet!**

**I have noticed that, since Kishimoto ended the manga like he did, quite a few people have given up writing Naruto FanFics in disgust. To those people, I say this: this is FanFiction, where we write our own endings to our favourite stories. Don't let the real author get you down!**

**Read and Review!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto's.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 22: A Bridge Too Far**

**The Wave Country Bridge**

Hatake Kakashi glared across at the four Nuke-nin that stood against his team. The Demon Brothers, Gōzu and Meizu, were well known for their sadistic combination tactics involving that shuriken chain that was linked their gauntlets.

He wasn't worried about what they could do, really. His team had handled the pair of them on the way here. It was the other two who worried the Copy Ninja.

The androgynous person wearing the mask of a Kirigakure Oinin was a complete unknown to him, other than the fact that he -Kakashi just called him a 'he' for the lack of evidence to the contrary- was a master at Shurikenjutsu, surpassing even Anko's skill with the poison-dipped senbon needles.

Momochi Zabuza, on the other hand was well known to him, considering they had fought before. His skill with Kenjutsu was unreal, even with a sword that had to weigh almost as much as he himself did. The Bingo Book also listed his skill at the _**Muon Satsujin no Jutsu (Silent Killing Jutsu)**_ was the best out of every ninja in Kirigakure's ninja forces as of the time of his attempted assassination attempt on the Yondaime Mizukage, Yagura.

"Oi, Cyclops. We gonna dance with our partners or just admire 'em all day?" Anko asked impatiently. The Snake Mistress was, much to the silver-haired man's irritation, juggling three kunai in her boredom.

"Anko…" Kurenai said in exasperation.

"She does have a point." Kakashi sighed, "Let's get to it. Protect the Bridge Builder!"

With that, Kakashi and Kurenai vanished in a burst of speed to attack Zabuza, while Anko, a grin across her face, ran to meet the fake Oinin. The Demon Brothers stalked towards the Genin with murder in their eyes, especially at Kiba.

"Hey, dog boy!" Gōzu growled, "You're first!"

"What the hell did you do to them Kiba?!" Ino asked as she drew a Kunai from her holster.

"Hey, _they're_ the ones who freaked out when Akamaru used _**Dainamikku Mākingu (Dynamic Marking)**_ on them!" the Inuzuka Heir protested before slamming his hands into the Tiger Handsign, "_**Shikyaku no Jutsu!**_"

"And that does what, exactly?" Ino asked.

"The damn mutt pissed on us!" Meizu snarled.

"Y'know, I can kinda see why they're pissed _at _you for your pup pissing _on_ them, mutt." Ino said with a disgusted expression on her face.

"Shut up!" Kiba said angrily.

"Shut up already." Sasuke growled in agreement, "We're supposed to be fighting here."

"Broody bastard, ain't he, Meizu?" Gōzu said with a sneer at the Last Uchiha.

"I agree, Gōzu. Arrogant too. The brat thinks that he can take us just because he sucker-punched us last time just after the dog boy used that pissing Jutsu on us." Meizu said, "We'd better show these wet-behind-the-ears brats just why we are ranked as Mid-C Rank Nukenin…"

**With Anko and Haku…**

"_**Sen'eijashu!**_" Anko snarled, sending six purple snakes speeding at the fake Oinin at a fairly impressive speed, but to no avail as the masked Shinobi dodged them with quite remarkable speed.

"Huh." Anko raised an eyebrow at that as the snakes returned to their own realm, "So speed is your specialty, then?"

"Indeed." her opponent agreed, "And I see that the _**Kuchiyose no Jutsu **_is yours."

"Among others." Anko replied before quickly firing a small cluster of senbon from her mouth at the masked person, who barely dodged in time.

"You really _are_ fast. Not many can avoid my _**Shikomishindan no Jutsu (Prepared Needle Barrage Jutsu)**_ from this close range." Anko was grinning now, "Looks like I have a worthy opponent for a change."

"We shall see about that." the androgynous Shinobi said as she drew a handful of senbon, "I confess to being curious though; why is your last Genin not here?"

"So you counted 'em, eh?" Anko replied with narrowed eyes, "She's at Tazuna's house, sleeping off a heavy training session."

"I am glad I do not have to fight her." the masked ninja said with a nod, "Now then, shall we?"

"Gladly!" Anko charged at her opponent, but a part of her wondered why the fake Oinin was so relieved to not have to fight Naruko.

**With Zabuza, Kurenai and Kakashi…**

Zabuza swung Kubikiribōchō in an arc that batted the half-a-dozen kunai thrown by Kurenai from the air, only to have to dodge a stab by Kakashi.

'_Hmm…they don't like each other, but that doesn't seem to stop them from cooperating together._' Zabuza thought clinically, '_Time to get serious._'

"Ready to get serious, Kakashi?" he goaded.

"Yeah…I think it's about time we did." Kakashi agreed as he grabbed his slanted hitai-ate and raised it to his forehead, revealing his crimson three-tomoe _**Sharingan**_.

"Oh-hoh! Interesting." Zabuza said, heaving his massive blade to rest on his shoulder, "Going to the _**Sharingan**_, eh?"

"You are the only enemy shinobi to have seen it twice. Consider yourself duly honoured." Kakashi told him quietly.

"Hah!" Zabuza snorted, "The same tricks won't work on me twice, Kakashi! Haku was watching our battle last week and was able to determine quite a few things about your little eye-infection of a Kekkei Genkai."

"Oh?"

"First off, there are three portions to the _**Sharingan**_. The _**Saimingan (Hypnotic Eye)**_, the _**Shisagan (Suggestion Eye)**_ and the _**Yosokugan (Predictive Eye)**_." Zabuza expounded, noticing Kakashi twitch at his knowledge of the _**Sharingan**_, "Interestingly enough, all of them can be countered with this…"

He formed the Tiger Handsign and announced, "_**Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu! (Water Style: Hidden in the Mist Jutsu!)**_"

A large cloud of mist and fog billowed around the combatants, causing Zabuza to fade from sight. The two Konohagakure Jonin edged closer together and tightened their hold on their kunai.

"You see, if I knead a significant amount of chakra while creating my _**Kirigakure no Jutsu**_, all your _**Sharingan**_ can see is my chakra all around you." Zabuza called out, seemingly from all around them, "Isn't that right, Kakashi?"

"He's using some kind of _**Fukuwajutsu (Ventriloquism Jutsu)**_." Kurenai muttered to Kakashi, "I can't pinpoint his location."

"Looks like this just got more difficult." Kakashi muttered back, "Watch my back."

"Even if you go back to back, I'll still get you in the end!" Zabuza sneered through the mist, "Now that the _**Sharingan**_ is all but neutralised and the Genjutsu Mistress has her wings clipped, your nothing but prey. And while I'm taking care of you two, Haku will take care of the Snake Mistress and the Demon Brothers will slice and dice your Genin into pieces."

"Your over confidence will be the death of you, Zabuza." Kakashi said darkly.

"Then by all means, Kakashi…_prove me wrong!_" the Demon of the Bloody Mist roared.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Tazuna's House**

Tsunami hummed to herself as she chopped vegetables up for the sukiyaki she was making for dinner. She smiled as she heard the slight snores of the one remaining ninja in the house, Naruko.

She owed that girl a lot for shaking her son, Inari, out of the pool of despair he had been in since the death of his stepfather. Granted, Naruko had used a method to do so that made the housewife want to cry, a recounting of her own life and the various negative incidents that she had undergone as a result of a foolish assumption by the civilians of her own home.

The housewife shook her head and got back to chopping vegetables. She was mentally planning the order of cleaning, chopping and then cooking the ingredients when she realised that the meat for the sukiyaki was in the fridge.

"Inari! Come and lend a hand in the kitchen!" she called to her son, who was still in his room. When she received no response, Tsunami harrumphed in a maternal fashion and raised her voice again, using the tone that all mothers use to transmit to their children that they should do what they are told, NOW, without any argument.

"_Inari!_"

"Hai~" Inari called back and started down the stairs.

{Zing, zing, zing, zing, zing, clack!}

With a series of metallic cutting noises, the front door of the house collapsed into separate pieces of wood, to reveal Gatō's two henchmen, Waraji and Zōri. Tsunami whirled around when she heard the wood collapse and, upon sighting the two intruders, immediately screamed loudly, hoping Inari would run when he heard her. Gatō would _not_ kill her son as well as her husband!

Inari stiffened halfway down the stairs when he heard his mother scream. He crept down the stairs and peered into the dining room/kitchen to see two cruel looking men that he recognised as the men who had cut off his stepfather's arms two years ago approaching his mother!

"So you're Tazuna's daughter, huh?" the blue-haired one said, an arrogant sneer on his face, "Sorry, but you're coming with us…or else."

For emphasis, he partially drew his sword to let her know the consequences of trying to resist.

Tsunami stumbled back, sending a plate crashing to the floor in her attempts to back away from the two mercenary 'samurai'.

"LEAVE MY MOTHER ALONE!" Inari yelled as he charged out and took up a defending position in front of a shocked Tsunami.

"Inari! Run! Escape!" Tsunami begged her son.

"I won't run! Not anymore!" he said firmly, keeping his eyes watching the two samurai, who seemed amused by his defiance.

"Heh. Brat wants to be a hero." Waraji scoffed in contempt, "Knock the kid out and we'll drag him and the bitch to Gatō."

"Picking on those without power is all weaklings like you two can do, isn't it?" Inari taunted as he remembered some of the things Naruko had taught him.

'_Listen up Inari-kun, the first thing to remember is that anyone who tries to attack you as you are now is a coward and cowards hate to be called weak. Calling them that makes them mad; mad people make mistakes._'

Zōri snarled at that and stepped forward. "Leave the brat to me. No one calls me a coward and gets away with it!"

Inari gulped as the man stepped towards him, but reminded himself that this was all going according to his plan. Or at least the outline of a plan that Naruko had given him for this kind of situation.

Forcing a giggle, he pointed at the incensed blue-haired man. "Oji-san, your zipper's down. I can see your willy!"

"Eh!?" Zōri looked down to check automatically, which is when Inari drew back his fist and punched him, once, twice and thrice in the samurai-bodyguard's crotch.

'_Against someone who would attack a kid, there is no such thing as dishonourable, Inari-kun._' he remembered Naruko telling him two days ago, '_If you manage to lure them close enough, they will not expect for _you_ to attack _them_. Just to be safe, distract them, then hit them where it hurts, just like I showed you._'

What Naruko had showed Inari was the absolute basics of the Academy's _**Hakage**_ style's punching techniques. Not dangerous to a trained warrior…unless they are stupid enough to let their guard down and let the attacker get three solid hits in a vital spot like the groin.

Zōri went white as he clutched his family jewels, dropping his sword in the process and falling to his knees with a whimper and began a series of breathless curses.

"Eh? Zōri?" Waraji hadn't seen what Inari had done because his partner had been in the way, "Did it get caught in the zip's teeth? That's why I told ya to go for a kimono! None of this modern crap."

"He really looks like he's in pain, Oji-san." Inari said unnecessarily.

"Oi! I ain't old enough to be called Oji-san!" Waraji snapped irritably.

"No? You look like a has-been to Me." an icy voice said from the doorway.

Waraji and Inari turned to see an angry looking Uzumaki Naruko standing in the doorway, fully dressed and her _**Kongōgatana**_ drawn and ready to use.

"If you seek a worthy opponent, look no further…trash." she said coolly.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back at the Bridge…**

**With the Genin…**

"_**Gatsūga!**_" Kiba roared, he and Akamaru burring into a pair of spinning drills aimed right at the Demon Brothers.

"Get real!" Gōzu snarled as he _**Kawarimi'd**_ with a nearby block of wood.

"You really think your little flying drill can catch use with the level of speed you have?" Meizu added contempt fully.

"_**Katon: **__**Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**_" Sasuke spat a large ball of fire at the exact location Meizu appeared.

"_**Fūton: Reppūshō!**_" Hinata sent a gale of wind at the Gōkakyū, increasing its size and firepower.

"Holy…!" Meizu yelped as he leapt to one side, barely avoiding the super powered fireball.

"_**Suiton: **__**Teppōdama!**_" Ino attacked this time, catching the Kiri Nuke-nin in midair and unable to dodge. Unfortunately, Gōzu saw the danger Meizu was in and quickly reeled in the shuriken chain, pulling his brother out of the way.

"What the heck is _with_ these Genin?" Meizu panted, "Most new Genin don't have elemental jutsu at this point!"

"Yeah, and both of those jutsu were at lethal levels as well!" Gōzu added, "What the hell?"

"You underestimate us." Ino said coldly.

"We just came form an S-Rank Mission and had our first kills there." Hinata added, surprising those who knew her by not stuttering.

"Damn. Looks like we did underestimate you." Meizu said in amusement, "You have our apologies for that."

"Yeah." added Gōzu, "Fighting blooded shinobi is a whole other thing from fighting brats. We'll go all out now."

"See what you've done, Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled.

"Meh." Ino shrugged unconcernedly, "Me and Hinata can handle Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum here. You three can hang back and offer support if you're too scared of them."

""Don't call us that!"" the Demon Brothers shouted angrily. That had been one of the most irritating nicknames they had been given back in Kirigakure. Even after they became known as the Demon Brothers, they were called that by those of a higher rank.

"Hn. Like hell we'd sit back and let you kick their asses without us." Sasuke said with a glare at Ino that, to his and Sakura's surprise, she shrugged off like it was nothing.

"Then let's get things started." Ino said, "If these two losers are still fighting when Naruko-chan turns up, Team 7 has to pay for one of her Ramen binges at Ichiraku's."

The three shinobi of Team 7 looked at each other in horror. Naruko would eat through their money like an Akimichi through a meat feast. No way were they about to let that happen!

"Fine!" Sakura shot back, "If they aren't, you two have to do the same!"

"Deal, Forehead!" Ino shook her rival's hand.

The Demon Brothers looked on in outraged confusion. They were not used to being ignored like this, especially in the middle of a fight.

"Oi! Brats!" Meizu shouted angrily, "Get serious already!"

The Nuke-nin then had to dodge a kunai from Hinata. "Oi!"

"Kindly wait until we have settled thing here." Hinata said firmly.

"Jeez. What a pushy brat." Gōzu said to his brother.

"She's the Hyūga Heiress." Meizu replied dryly, "She's used to people doing as she pleases."

"Assumptions like that are why you will never rise to B-Rank in the Bingo Book!" Ino spat.

"Why you…!" Gōzu snarled, flexing his clawed gauntlet as if imagining it squeezing the life out of the Yamanaka Heiress' body.

"This is just a waste of time." Sasuke growled, "Let's fight already!"

"My sentiments _exactly_, brat!" Meizu snarled as he whipped a loop of the shuriken chain at the Last Uchiha.

Sasuke drew two kunai and jumped over the razor-sharp chain, sending both kunai flying towards Meizu with impressive strength and speed behind them…for a Genin.

The Kiri Nuke-nin easily caught the thrown weapons, but grunted as the pair of kunai that had been concealed from his sight by the first set of blades thudded into his right leg.

"Wha…? The _**Kage Kunai no Jutsu?! (Shadow Kunai Jutsu?!)**_" Meizu grunted as he drew both kunai from his leg and threw them to one side, "Gōzu! Why didn't you tell me there were kunai hidden in the shadow of the first ones?!"

Gōzu didn't respond. His eyes were unfocussed and he swayed where he stood, arms limp at his sides.

"Genjutsu!" Meizu cursed, "But when…?"

"Genjutsu is the specialty of Kunoichi, remember?" Ino teased, "My _**Genjutsu: **__**Rakuen (Illusion: Paradise)**_ will keep your partner completely immobile while he drowns in his own fantasy of perfection. The best part is that even if you disturb his chakra, he will fight to remain in the genjutsu himself."

"Tch." Meizu grunted as he detached the shuriken chain from his gauntlet. He'd wake his idiot brother up after he killed the kids and rag him mercilessly about being caught in a genjutsu cast by a Genin of all things.

"All right, brats." the Nuke-nin said, a trace of anger in his voice, "Now it come for real."

The five Genin readied themselves as the former Kiri chunin charged at them. This wouldn't be easy.

**Anko vs. Haku…**

The two figures clashed, senbon against kunai. Anko's trench coat was covered in cuts and slashes, as was Haku's Oinin outfit. There was even a long scratch across the Oinin mask, just underneath the eyeholes.

'_This isn't good._' Haku though calmly, '_Her speed is just as great as mine and her skill at close combat exceeds my own. I have never fought an opponent with such skill with kunai; it is as if she has eyes in the back of her head. Every stab and slice that I try is blocked or parried. Time to change the rules…_'

Haku lunged forwards with the senbon in her right hand, locking blades with Anko, the metal weapons grinding against each other as each wielder tried to overpower the other.

"Oh? Interesting." Anko grinned at Haku, "Looks like we're pretty even in skill and strength."

Haku noted that the purple-haired woman didn't seem to be so much as breathing hard after the flurry of blows that had been exchanged between them. That made it even more imperative to finish her off.

"Quite so." Haku replied, "Which is why we'll be moving to the next level…with this."

With her free hand, Haku began to form one-handed handsigns, much to Anko's incredulity.

'_Naru-chan uses a half-tiger handsign to cancel her gauntlet's transformation, but an entire series of handsigns for a jutsu is unheard of! Not even Hokage-sama can do that!_'

"_**Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō! (Hidden Jutsu: A Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death!)**_" Haku hissed as she stamped her foot in one of the puddles of water that had formed on the surface of the bridge as a result of the _**Kirigakure no Jutsu**_.

In midair, numerous spikes of water appeared, then froze into ice before launching themselves at Anko from all around her. Every arc was covered completely by the ice projectiles, a full three-hundred and sixty degree attack.

"Nice try!" Anko snarled as she thrust her own free arm out and then called, "_**Sen'ei Daijashu! (Large Striking Shadow Snake!)**_"

An enormous snake emerged from her sleeve and swiftly wrapped Anko up from head to toe, just before the icicle assault reached her, breaking for the most part of the scales of the summoned serpent, though a few found gaps in the scales, making the serpent bleed.

"**Anko-sama, I must return home. My injuries are too severe to aid you now."** the snake hissed as it unwound itself from around Anko.

"Gotcha." Anko nodded, "Thanks for the help, Ishva."

With a nod, the large snake vanished from this world in a puff of chakra smoke.

"You are quite persistent." Haku remarked. She had leapt back when she saw the size of the snake that Anko had summoned. She had no wish to be a snake's midday snack, thank you very much.

'_Using a summon as a shield isn't something most people would consider doing._' the last living member of the Yuki Clan considered, '_Either she has no regard for the lives of her summons or the summons trust her not to risk their lives frivolously._'

"I try." Anko replied with a frown, "Man, that was close though. Huh-uh. Sneaky way to fight, immobilising your opponents hand so they can't use any jutsu, then using one-handed handsigns to launch an all angles-style attack to quickly finish them off. Do I really worry you that much?"

"…Yes." Haku admitted, "Now that _that_ plan has failed, you leave me no choice…I will show you my _true_ speed…"

Haku placed her hands into a unique handsign that resembled the Tiger handsign, but the middle fingers were crossed over the index fingers

"_**Hyōton Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō! (Ice Style Secret Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals!)**_" Haku declared coldly.

**Zabuza vs. Kurenai and Kakashi…**

"What is that cold chakra…?" Kakashi asked as he froze. He and Kurenai had been beating off feinting attacks from Zabuza for a while now and it was quite mentally exhausting to do so on a continuous basis.

"Ah…so Haku is finally getting serious…" Zabuza mused from the mist, "About damn time."

"What do you mean, Zabuza?" Kurenai demanded.

"Heh…like how the Uchiha and Hyūga have Kekkei Genkai, Haku has her own Kekkei Genkai…the Hyōton." Zabuza replied, a smirk easily discernable in his voice.

"Ice Style?! One of the Yuki Clan survived the Bloodline Purges!" Kakashi said incredulously.

"Hehehehe…yes she did." Zabuza gloated, "I've taught her well since I picked her up just after I fled Kirigakure no Sato. Her bloodline is strong and will not lose to any regular Kunoichi."

Kurenai smiled grimly. "Well then, it's a very good thing that Anko-chan is no ordinary Kunoichi. If you think a Kekkei Genkai will be her downfall, you are sorely mistaken."

"Tough talk." Zabuza observed, Be interesting to see if you can back it up!"

The form of Zabuza lunged out of the mist, bringing the Dantō down in an arc at Kurenai's neck. Just before the edge of the Kubikiribōchō landed, the raven-haired Jonin vanished in a cloud of flower petals, much to the brow-less Nuke-nin's surprise.

Not being one to waste an opening, Kakashi stabbed Zabuza in the neck while he was off balance from his failed attack.

{SPLASH!}

"Tch. _**Mizu Bunshin**_ again?" Kakashi grunted, "That trick is really getting old, Zabuza."

"Then by all means…DIE!" Zabuza roared from just behind the silver-haired man. Kakashi whirled around as he leapt back and threw his kunai at the lunging Zabuza. The Kiri Nuke-nin merely shifted slightly so the thrown blade missed by a bare inch.

The Seversword barely touched Kakashi as his reflexes from the Third Great Ninja War had not dulled in the slightest, but the razor-sharp blade sliced through his flak jacket like a hot knife through butter, blood spurting out at the slight gash in his chest.

"Kakashi!" Kurenai exclaimed in concern, appearing in a puff of pink smoke as she ended her concealment Genjutsu.

"It's just a flesh wound." the Copy Ninja told her, "More importantly, we need to take the offensive. Who knows what kind of jutsu that Yuki Clan girl is using. Anko might not be able to withstand it. Elemental Kekkei Genkai are incredibly tricky to deal with."

"Right." Kurenai nodded. She drew another kunai from her holster and held it tightly as Zabuza called out at them mockingly.

"Why do you even bother? With the _**Sharingan**_ made useless and the Genjutsu Mistress' main talents sealed, there is little that you can do to harm me. This is my territory…the territory known as _**Muon Satsujin**_!"

"You talk too much, Y'know that?" Kakashi replied as he ran through several handsigns, "_**Doton: **__**Ganchūrō no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Stone Pillar Prison Jutsu!)**_"

From the surface of the bridge around them, several stone pillars erupted. Standing three meters tall and a foot thick each, they were just close enough together that one swinging a massive sword like the Kubikiribōchō would be unable to get it at the maximum velocity for cutting through them, which would also be useful for the two Jonin in order to avoid getting cut horizontally in half.

"Kakashi…what have you wrought?" Zabuza spat after a moment.

"See Zabuza, the thing about a sword as massive as yours is that there are only two practical ways to attack with it…either a horizontal swing or a vertical chop. With these pillars in place, you only have one way to attack us." Kakashi replied.

"Grrr…you think these little rods can stop me?" Zabuza sneered.

"Not alone, no…" Kakashi conceded, "But if I add this, then yes."

The Copy Ninja ran through several more handsigns. "_**Raiton: Jibashi no Jutsu!**_"

From his hands, a blast of pure electricity shot out, arcing towards the nearest rock pillar, illuminating it in blue light before leaping from pillar to pillar until every single pillar was lit up with lightning.

"_**Raiton: Kaminari Shibari Hairetsu no Jutsu! (Lightning Style: Lightning Bind Array Jutsu!)**_" Kakashi shouted as he sent even more lightning at the pillars. With a loud 'crack!' and the smell of ozone, thin walls of lightning flashed into existence between every single pillar within a set distance of one another, compartmenting the battlefield into a series of areas totally cut off from on another.

"What kind of crappy combination jutsu is this?!" Zabuza roared.

"A way of keeping you locked up while we triangulate your exact location to attack you." Kakashi answered blandly, "Isn't it obvious?"

"….AAAARRRGGGGHHHH!" Zabuza shrieked a few moments later, followed by a thud.

"Oh, didn't I mention that anyone who tries to jump out of the space they are in will get electrocuted because of all the water particles in the air thanks to all this mist?" Kakashi remarked blandly, "My bad."

"KAKASHI!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back at Tazuna's House…**

Waraji sneered at the little girl waving a sword about like she knew how to use it. Honestly. These brats have a bit of metal on their foreheads that make them shinobi and they think they're warriors. Pathetic.

"You really think that little sword can beat me?" the cyclopean man scoffed, "I have experience and reach on you, brat. You don't stand a chance."

"In other words," the girl replied coldly, "You are an old man who's past his prime and needs to bully those without power to make yourself feel good."

"…! Brat!" Waraji was furious. He was Gatō's personal bodyguard, with over a decade of experience in wielding the sword. He had fought to the point that he had lost his eye on a regular assignment. After all that, this stupid naïve little girl thought she could just mock him and get away with it?!

"Zōri, stop playing with yourself and get your ass up so we can deal with this little bitch!" he snarled at his partner, who was still on his knees and clutching his balls for some reason.

"Ghhk!" Zōri groaned.

"Tch. Useless twit." Waraji spat on the floor in disgust, "Catch your peewee in the zip and you start blubbering like a baby. Fine, I'll deal with the brat by myself!"

With that, he assumed the stance of his sword skill specialty; Iaidō.

"Huh. Iaijutsu, is it?" the girl said, merely raising an eyebrow in surprise, "Looks like you are a cut above the rank-and-file thugs around here."

"I'm one of Gatō-sama's bodyguards; of course I'm strong." Waraji scoffed.

"No, you are not." the girl instantly denied, "Truly strong people don't have to bow to a loser like Gatō. They don't let injustice happen without trying to stop it and they certainly don't attack the innocent. You merely have power. To have power does not mean you are strong."

"Shut up and die!" Waraji yelled as he charged the girl at a run, "I'll cut you in half! _**Iaigiri! (Draw and Cut!)**_"

As fast as a thunderbolt, the samurai drew his sword and cut at the Kunoichi's neck, clearly intending to behead her.

"Naruko-nee-chan!" Inari called in worry.

"Too slow." the girl said in a bored tone as she brought her sword up to block the strike. The black sword of the girl and Waraji's steel sword clashed in an instant of screeching steel.

Then, with a metallic crack, Waraji's blade snapped in half like a piece of wood, making the samurai gape in astonishment and disbelief at the remaining half of his faithful blade.

"Wh-wha…how…why…you…!" he stammered out.

"Fall." the girl said simply, "_**Sakaba**__**tōgiri. (Reverse-Blade Sword Cut.)**_"

Flipping her katana around to the dull side, she slammed it into Waraji's midriff, eliciting a gasp from the man. The girl withdrew the sword as the samurai fell to his knees and then the girl repeated the chop with slightly less force behind it, rendering Waraji unconscious.

Naruko looked up and grinned at Inari and Tsunami. "Sorry for sleeping in." she said, "Thought I'd make up for it by taking out the trash…although Inari-kun seems to have dealt with this one without my help."

The Uzumaki Heiress wandered over to where Zōri still knelt, cupping his manhood…or at least what was left of it after Inari's 'Ball-Breaker no Jutsu'.

She scooped up his sword in her free hand and threw it across the room so there was no way he could get it. Zōri looked up at her with hate-filled eyes.

"You…little…whore!" he hissed at her in a fury.

"Ah-ah. No swearing in front of Inari-kun; he's still a child." Naruko mock scolded him before backhanding him into the wall.

"Gah!" he cried before losing consciousness.

"Are you alright, Tsunami-san?" Naruko asked in concern.

"Y-Yes…just….in a bit of shock, that's all." the housewife answered shakily, "Inari, I told you to run! Why didn't you obey me?"

"I couldn't let them take you , Okaa-san!" Inari protested stubbornly, "I won't run and cry like I did before!"

Although he said that, tears were falling from his eyes as he rushed up to his mother and hugged her desperately. Tsunami hugged her precious son back as the stress from the last few minutes grew too much for her.

Naruko smiled softly and moved to tie up the two samurai with some rope while the two recovered from a very scary ordeal for civilians.

"Tsunami-san, I assume that everyone else has gone to the bridge?" she said after the two civilians had sufficiently recovered.

"Y-Yes." Tsunami nodded, then became anxious, "Do you think they're under attack?"

"Quite likely." Naruko replied as she propped Zōri and Waraji against a wall and filled two cups of water at the sink, "Although, this isn't like Zabuza."

"What do you mean, Naruko-nee?" Inari asked.

"Zabuza is a very prideful man, Inari-kun." Naruko replied, "I've read his Bongo Book entry. He absolutely forbids his employer from hiring anyone else on a job he is hired for and also makes it clear that any of his employers' regular personnel who try to muscle in on his marks will be sliced and diced.

So then…why are these two here?"

"Why…?" Inari asked in confusion, "To capture us and take us to Gatō. That's what the old man there said."

"I know." Naruko nodded, "But that means that Gatō is ignoring one of the conditions of hiring Zabuza…again…which means he's up to something. Fortunately, we have his two bodyguards, who go everywhere with him, to interrogate."

With that, Naruko splashed water in the faces of the two samurai, bringing them spluttering into consciousness again, accompanied by throbbing headaches.

"Uuuuhhh…." Waraji groaned, echoed by Zōri.

"Hello there, dumbass duo." Naruko said calmly as she sat on the floor in their line of sight, eliciting the expected response from the two mercenaries.

"You…!"

"Bitch!"

"Again, no swearing in front of eight year olds." Naruko rolled her eyes before drawing a kunai and throwing it in the space between their head, instantly making them freeze up.

"Remember, I am the one in control here." she said with cold undertones, "You two morons are my prisoners; as such, I can pretty much do as I please with both of you…including interrogate you. Your choices are simple: either tell me what I want to know, or you'll die in agony after an extended period of time. Your choice."

"Tch." Zōri sneered at her, "Like a brat like you has the balls to torture somebody!"

"In Konoha, there is a special department that handles all interrogations of captured prisoners." Naruko said whimsically, "ANBU T&amp;I. My sensei, Mitarashi Anko, is the Joint Second in Command of the T&amp;I department and she is _also_ the second most feared interrogator in the whole department. Do you two numbskulls _really_ think that she taught me _nothing_ about interrogating captured prisoners?"

The paling faces of the two samurai told her quite clearly that _no_, they didn't think that.

"Now we have that established, let's start from the beginning." Naruko said pleasantly, "How many men does Gatō have in Nami no Kuni?"

"Fuck you!" Zōri snarled stubbornly, a sheen of nervous sweat cross his face.

"And you fall at the first hurdle." Naruko shook her head dramatically, "Tsunami-san, please take Inari-kun to somewhere more secure than here. Try to round up some villagers and tell them that the fate of the country will be decided by day's end. If they wanna be known as cowards who disgrace Kaiza-san's legacy, they should stay in their homes."

"R-Right!" the Housewife nodded, "Come on Inari."

"Wait a moment." Inari called, running up stairs, then clattering back down, holding a small hunting crossbow and a quiver of quarrels slung over his shoulder.

"Nice." Naruko nodded, "Keep you eyes open, watch your surroundings and, most importantly…?"

"Never cry!" Inari finished.

"Almost." Naruko corrected him, "Never cry when you are _sad_. Feel free to cry when you are happy or relieved. On you go."

Tsunami followed her son out the opening that used to be her front door. Looking around she saw Naruko, flanked by two copies of herself, glaring down at the two bound samurai, who looked more than slightly worried at their present situation.

She hurried after Inari, who was stalking carefully down the street with his crossbow held ready to aim and fire at the slightest provocation.

A little further down the road, Tsunami heard a pair of male screams. What was odd, they weren't pain-filled…more like horrified and disgusted.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Back at the Bridge…**

**Genin vs. Demon Brothers…**

"Rrrraaaghh!" Meizu roared angrily as he flung Sasuke across the bridge, "Get real kid. Your Taijutsu isn't up to fighting me on-on-one when I have my wits about me!"

Indeed, he hadn't even bothered using the poison-coated claws on his gauntlet. The arrogance of the Uchiha was beyond belief, to his mind. Trying to face a chunin-level opponent head on with Taijutsu was foolish, especially when Taijutsu was one of that chunin's specialties!

"_**Katon: Endan!**_" Ino shouted.

"_**Fūton: Reppūshō!**_" Hinata added.

Together the two girls yelled, "_**Konbi Ninjutsu: **__**Kajiba-Fū no Jutsu!**_"

The fireball grew to large proportions when struck by the wind, bearing down on the lone member of the Demon Brothers, who gaped in astonishment at the approaching tempest of flames.

'_Two _Genin_ shouldn't be able to make something like _that_!_' he thought in numb shock, '_What the hell kind of training have they been doing?!_'

He barely remembered to _**Kawarimi**_ with the hunk of wood Gōzu had used earlier before the firestorm hit, burning the wood into an unrecognisable lump, making the Nuke-nin gulp at what could have been his fate.

Sasuke was also shocked by the Collaboration Jutsu used by the two Kunoichi. He had never seen such power in a jutsu…except from his brother.

'_Why are they so strong?! I _deserve_ the power, I _need_ the power in order to avenge my Clan!_' Sasuke thought angrily, '_And yet, why do these…weaklings…have that much power?_'

"Let's go, Akamaru!" Kiba shouted, "_**Gatenga!**_"

The Inuzuka and his Ninken partner unleashed the second combo-attack they had learned, a pair of spinning buzz saws arcing towards a wide-eyed Meizu.

"Shit!" he cursed and leapt to one side, barely avoiding the pair of whirling dervishes that Kiba and Akamaru had become. He rolled to one knee and was about to stand up when he heard a cold voice speak to him.

"You are within range of my divination!" Hinata informed him, "_**Jūhopō: Hakke Sanjūni Shō!**_"

"The Hyūga…oh crap!" Meizu groaned as Hinata unleashed her attack.

"_**Ni**_ _**Shō!**_" Two strikes to his shoulders, numbing his arms.

"_**Yon**_ _**Shō!**_" Four strikes, two per arm.

"_**Hachi**_ _**Shō!**_" Eight strikes across the upper torso, sealing more of his _tenketsu_.

"_**Jūroku**_ _**Shō!**_" Sixteen more strikes covering the lower torso, legs and the arms, sealing more _tenketsu_ and putting the man out of commission.

"Uhhhhh…!" Meizu collapsed to the ground, utterly spent and unable to move thanks to Hinata's technique.

"Nice!" Ino grinned.

"That was SUPER amazing." Tazuna, who had been hiding behind some construction equipment, called out as he emerged.

"Tazuna-san, is t-there any rope around here?" Hinata asked politely.

"Sure." the Bridge Builder said, reaching behind his former hiding place and pulled out a long coil of rope, more than enough to securely bind the two Nuke-nin. Ino, the daughter of the best Mindwalker in ANBU T&amp;I, used the Shibari skills she had been taught growing up to securely bind Gōzu -who was still lost in his genjutsu-induced paradise- and Meizu.

"What…what the hell…did you do to me?" Meizu rasped.

"I sealed thirty-two of your _tenketsu_." Hinata told him softly, "Even for a Jonin, that would take at least half an hour to recover from."

"I mean before that!" Meizu growled, "There's no way my reactions should be so slow or for you move so fast as to surpass them. You used a Genjutsu on me as well, didn't you?!"

"Hai." Hinata nodded, "I used _**Genjutsu: **__**Henkō Jikan**_. It alters your subjective experience of the passage of time. Basically, I slow your perception of the passage of time by a small amount…just five seconds, but that is more than enough to give us an advantage in a battle."

Meizu was struck speechless by this declaration. "But…when?" he managed.

"When I looked you in the eye telling you about us coming from an S-Rank mission." Hinata replied.

"Y-You didn't make any handsigns!" Meizu exclaimed, "Not a single one!"

"_**Henkō Jikan **_is a very simple genjutsu." Hinata shrugged, "After practicing on some of Naruko-chan's Kage Bunshin during this week, I've mastered it to the point of not needing handsigns. Without handsigns, the maximum length of time I can slow a person's time is five seconds though."

"So…this is the power of the Hyūga Clan's Kekkei Genkai…the _**Byakugan**_…" Meizu said with a sigh.

"It was my own effort actually." Hinata corrected him, "Yes, my _**Byakugan**_ allows me to see the _Keirakukei _(Chakra Network) and that allowed me to see exactly how much chakra my sensei used to perform the jutsu, but I worked hard to master it, which isn't easy with any genjutsu."

"What should we do now?" Sakura asked as she eyed the Demon Brothers.

"Hn. We should find that fake Oinin and take her down." Sasuke grunted.

"The Oinin is at least at Anko-sensei's level." Ino disagreed, "We'd just get in the way. We should stay here and guard the Dum-Dum twins here."

"OI!" Meizu objected to that nickname.

"I _need_ to prove myself!" Sasuke snarled, "I _need_ to awaken my _**Sharingan**_! I can't do that by hanging around these two idiots!"

"Will you lot stop calling my brother and me that kind of name!" Meizu demanded.

"Shush!" Hinata absently hit him with a _**Jūho**_ strike to the throat, silencing him, "Sasuke-san, you a-are only a Genin. I-If you want more dangerous missions, get promoted to chunin. Until then, y-you are a Genin and right now we are ordered to p-protect Tazuna-san."

"…Hn." Sasuke replied and looked sulky.

Ino shook her head slightly. Her long ponytail shook as she did so, the whipped as the wind suddenly picked up.

"What's with this wind?" Sakura raised her voice to be heard over the sound of the wind.

"_**Byakugan**_." Hinata whispered, the veins on her temples standing out as she activated her Kekkei Genkai. She them smiled broadly.

"Naruko-chan's arrived." she said, "And boy, is she _angry_."

**Haku vs. Anko…**

Anko was stunned. She was surrounded on all sides by beautiful ice mirrors, she turned in place counting them. Twenty-one in total, including the one floating at the top, in a dome formation.

"Well, this is incredible." she said turning towards Haku, "I must say this is the most beautiful jutsu I have ever seen."

"My thanks." Haku nodded, "It is the only secret technique of my Clan that I have mastered or even have knowledge of. The Bloodline Purges destroyed many ancient Clan secrets and jutsu, for nothing more that easing the paranoia of a tyrant."

"The Yondaime Mizukage." Anko stated matter-of-factly.

"Quite. Zabuza-sama plans to overthrow Yagura and end the Purges." Haku said softly, "As his tool, I support him. Towards that end, I will not allow anyone to stand in the way of his ambitions. Surrender now. You cannot escape this jutsu."

"Izzat so?" Anko grinned viciously, "_**Katon: **__**Karyūdan**_ _**no Jutsu!**_"

She unleashed a solid stream of fire at the nearest mirror, engulfing it in flames. To her surprise, it only melted slightly by the end of her jutsu and it restored itself after thirty seconds.

"Huh. Let me guess, you draw moisture from the air around us to repair the damage to the mirrors, which are probably hard to damage with Katon Jutsu to begin with, being made from chakra. Am I right?" Anko mused aloud.

"You are correct." Haku sounded impressed at her swift deductions, "As expected of a Tokujō. I admit to being surprised; none have guessed either portion of my jutsu in the three times I have used it before now."

"Meh." Anko shrugged, "My bastard sensei, Orochimaru, was fond of making me analyze different jutsu to find their various strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of this jutsu are mostly obvious, but then so is the weakness."

"Oh?" Haku sounded indifferent, but her mind was racing to find the weakness the Snake Mistress spoke of.

"Yup; the chakra cost for this jutsu must be immense. I'd say, judging from the size and number of ice mirrors here, that you can maintain them for fifteen, maybe even twenty, minutes. No longer than that, unless you have more chakra than I've estimated."

'_She is truly dangerous. She has divined more about __**Makyō Hyōshō **__than anybody else has ever dreamed of._' Haku thought in shock, '_I must defeat her soon. Fighting against an intelligent and powerful enemy is far more worrying than fighting against a merely powerful foe._'

"I am rarely taken aback by an opponent once, yet you have managed it not once, but twice." Haku said, her voice becoming hard, "Rest assured…it will not happen again!"

With that, she stepped _into_ the ice mirror in front of her, causing reflections of herself to appear in all of the other twenty mirrors.

"Uh-huh." Anko looked around nervously, "Y'know, this must make trying on new clothes so easy…"

"Prepare yourself." Haku told her, "Because now, I'm coming at you for real."

"Not if I break out of here first!" Anko shot back, her hands running through several handsigns, ending on Tiger.

"_**Katon: **__**Karyū Endan no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs Jutsu!)**_" Anko muttered before inhaling deeply. When she couldn't hold any more, she opened her mouth and unleashed a massive firestorm at the original mirror that Haku had stepped into.

"Great Kami all above!" Haku gasped as she zoomed from her mirror to the next one -and the next four, just to be safe- in order to avoid the flames, which were melting through her mirrors like they weren't even there!

It was true. The firestorm, shaped into a three-headed dragon, slammed into the mirror created by the _**Makyō Hyōshō**_ and shattered it into pieces. The flames, seemingly not satisfied with that, set themselves upon the mirrors to the side, clearing the way for Anko to zip through the space between them.

"Damn." Haku said conversationally. She ended her jutsu right there and then. There was no point if the Snake Mistress could just blast through the ice-crystal mirrors like paper.

"Your mirrors are resilient against Katon Jutsu, that isn't in dispute." Anko called at her, "But even chakra-created ice has to bow to flames of a certain temperature, like the flames of my _**Karyū Endan**_. Only those who work themselves to the bone to master their Fire Affinity can ever so much as _use_ it, let alone _master_ it."

"Nevertheless, it would seem that the work involved is worth it in the end." Haku observed slightly breathlessly. She had used a lot of chakra uselessly reinforcing the initial mirror for the incoming attack. She estimated that she had less than a third of her chakra left.

"It is." Anko acknowledged with a grin. The wind started to blow fiercely, ruffling her hair as it caressed her.

"Would you look at that...Naru-chan's arrived!" the Snake Mistress said gleefully, "Oh, things are gonna be _fun_ now!"

**Zabuza vs. Kurenai and Kakashi…**

"Damn you Kakashi!" Zabuza roared in a mix of fury and pain. He had just tried to cut through the electric barriers that surrounded him with Kubikiribōchō, only to be electrocuted…again!

"Mah, Mah, you really are impatient, aren't you Zabuza?" the Copy Ninja's voice called out to him from the same place he had been for the last few minutes, "Listen, can you hear any noise from where the Demon Brothers were fighting our Genin? I'd lay odds that your subordinates are down for the count."

"…! I am going to beat some training into them when I get my hands on them for this." Zabuza growled. Losing once to Genin was bad enough; but to lose twice to the exact same batch of Genin was just plain embarrassing.

The bridge was lit up by a flash of flames and the sound of shattering glass…or ice.

"Haku!" Zabuza muttered. He would rather die than admit it, but he loved that girl like an adoptive daughter. If the Snake Mistress had hurt her, he would cut the purple-haired bitch to ribbons.

"_**Fūton: Fūrō no Jutsu!**_" a crowd of voices shouted from somewhere above them. The mist was getting blown away, shredded into nothing by the strong winds generated by the Wind Jutsu.

Atop the construction crane and various scaffolding set up on this half of the incomplete bridge stood an entire army of Naruko clones, who were glaring down at the participants in anger. One strode forwards and yelled down at them, her words surprising everyone.

"Stop this battle at once! I mean it!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Naruko's Perspective**

After a moment of silence, Kakashi called up to her, "Naruko, what do you mean? We were about to finish Zabuza off."

"If you do that, we will be dead in a matter of hours." Naruko said flatly.

"What…?" Kakashi responded in surprise.

"Zabuza!" Naruko called down to the wielder of Kubikiribōchō, "Tell me something; did you send these two morons to kidnap Tazuna-san's family while you fought my team here?"

Zōri and Waraji, bound hand and foot, were dangled from the crane. They struggled in their bonds and tried futilely to spit out the waded cloth that served as temporary gags.

"WHAT!?" Zabuza exploded in anger, "No I did not! I carry out my contracts myself, not relying on weaklings like those two…if they are real and not Shadow Clones!"

"Do it." Naruko ordered her clones, who nodded. With two quick slices of kunai, the samurai plunged to the surface of the bridge, landing with a pair of loud thumps, which was more than strong enough to dispel a shadow clone.

"OK, they're real." Zabuza admitted, "But no, I didn't send them to take the old mans daughter and brat."

"Are Tsunami and Inari alright?" Tazuna asked anxiously.

"Both of them were shaken up, but unharmed." Naruko assured him, "In fact, Inari-kun took out the blue-haired one by himself."

Zabuza looked at Zōri, who was red with humiliation, before laughing his ass off, much to Naruko's evident amusement.

"Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! Goddamn, I knew these two were weaklings, but to get beaten by an _eight year old kid_?!" Zabuza exclaimed before laughing again.

"Quite." Naruko agreed, "I propose a truce, at the very least until I tell you all the information I got out of these two idiots."

"Hah! And what'll stop Kakashi from trying to stab me in the back while I'm distracted listening to your information?" Zabuza challenged.

"My army of _**Kage Bunshin **_will stop any truce violations…regardless of the origins of the violators." Naruko said, looking at Kakashi pointedly.

"Stubborn kid." Kakashi muttered and took out his Icha-Icha Paradise book and began reading it. He had, in fact, planned on finishing Zabuza, truce or no truce, but Naruko had just told him he'd have her to deal with if he tried anything. Great.

"Genin Uzumaki, this is insubordination." Kurenai said severely.

"Check my hitai-ate, Kurenai-sensei." Naruko indicated her hitai-ate, which wasn't the leaf symbol of Konoha, but the spiral symbol of Uzushiogakure, "I'm acting as the Acting-Clan Head of the Uzumaki Clan right now, _not_ a Genin of Konohagakure."

Kurenai suppressed a groan at this. She was going to have to read up on the Clan Laws as she honestly couldn't tell if Naruko was actually permitted to switch between personas like that. "Kakashi?"

"She can do it." he replied, guessing what her question would be, "Why do you think I stood down?"

"Urgh…fine." Kurenai gave up for the moment, resolving to talk to the Hokage about this as soon as she'd finished her report to him back in Konoha.

"Anko-chan-sensei?" Naruko called to her lover.

"Sure, brat." Anko responded, "You wouldn't be such a hardass about this if it wasn't important."

"Zabuza?"

"Che! Fine. I swear by the sword I bear to abide by a non-aggression truce until you finish your explanation." Zabuza spun his sword around before sheathing it across his back, "Now, if you would take this irritating barrier Ninjutsu down, we can get on with it."

"Fine." sighed Kakashi, "_**KAI!**_"

The electric barriers fell and Zabuza was free once again. Striding forwards, he called out, "Haku!"

The fake Oinin appeared at his side in a blink of an eye and removed the mask covering her face.

"Haku-nee-chan?" Naruko said in surprise.

"Hello again, Naruko-san." Haku inclined her head at the Uzumaki Heiress, "I am sorry for deceiving you as to my loyalties."

"Deception is the most important quality of a Shinobi." Naruko shrugged, "I prefer to be upfront about things like this, but it was understandable that you concealed your identity."

"Thank you." Haku replied with a small smile.

"Dobe, what are you doing?" a voice called from one side. Sasuke stood frowning up at her, the rest of the Genin behind him.

"Saving the day, Teme, saving the day." Naruko replied before dropping down near the two samurai. The rest of her clones remained where they were, keeping an eye on the entire party.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"Where to start…OK then." Naruko met Zabuza's eyes unflinchingly, "Gatō is, frankly speaking, scum. He has apparently hired Nuke-nin before and then double-crossed them once their jobs were complete, ambushing them immediately after the missions were completed and they were tired with waves of regular thugs, bandits and mercenaries."

"He planned to _backstab me_?!" Zabuza's voice was as cold as glacial melt, "Do you have any proof?"

"Just what these bozos say." Naruko poked Waraji with her foot, "But what they told me fits everything I've heard about Gatō. Sneaky, underhanded, dishonourable and thoroughly _vile_."

"Humph. So his plan was to wait until we had worn ourselves out against each other, then swoop in and kill us when we were exhausted?" Zabuza summed everything up succinctly.

"Yup." Naruko nodded, "He ordered Tsunami-san and Inari-kun's kidnapping to make Tazuna-san turn himself over to him without a fight. He'd have killed Inari and sold Tsunami-san to a brothel after Tazuna-san was dead of course. Same with Haku-nee here, I would think."

"I would rather die first!" Haku declared coldly.

"Ditto." Naruko nodded then smiled as Hinata came up to her and hugged her., "Hey Hinata-chan. How're you doing?"

"F-fine." Hinata replied, "We t-took care of the Demon Brothers."

"I know; I had a _**Kage Bunshin **_watching your fight." Naruko told her with a smile, "Nice combo jutsu with Ino-chan."

"A-Arigato." Hinata smiled.

"So what now?" Kakashi asked Zabuza.

He snorted. "The prick is trying to betray me. The contract is officially null and void, so the old man doesn't have to worry about me coming for him."

Tazuna sighed in relief.

"Naruko, did these idiots tell you when Gatō was going to send his army at us?" Kurenai asked.

"In about…five minutes." Naruko said, peering through the pea soup natural mist that surrounded the bridge, trying to gauge the position of the sun, "He'll be coming with them to gloat at us."

"Hah-HA!" Zabuza grinned behind the bandages covering his mouth in a shark-like grin that spelled Gatō's doom, "If Gatō sees what he wants to see, he'll walk right in to a trap…OUR trap!"

"Only problem is, I couldn't get these two prats to tell me how he was going to get here." Naruko said with a frown.

"Boat." Zabuza said, "A sneak attack from an unexpected direction is the best plan he could come up with, otherwise we'd hear them clumping over most of the bridge to get here."

"Hmmm…good point." Kakashi conceded, "How about this then…"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Five Minutes Later**

**With Gatō**

**Gatō's Private Ferry**

Gatō, Multimillionaire, business tycoon, secret drug lord and Underworld Boss, stood on the main deck of his private ship and looked up at the bridge with a calculating look on his face.

'_Once the old drunk is dead, I can take over the bridge and have it completed._' He considered, '_Once it's finished, I'll charge an extortionately high toll to cross it in either direction, which'll force the islander scum to accept me as their ruler, if they know what's good for 'em!_'

"Gatō-sama, it's time." his temporary bodyguard informed him.

"Right." he strode to the front of the crowd assembled on the main deck. Toughs, bandits, Ronin Samurai, mercenaries…the boat was full to the brim with the usual hive of villainy and scum from the seediest locals in Nami no Kuni and Hi no Kuni. There were even a couple from Kaminari no Kuni here as well.

There were also his…special insurance…just in case Zabuza or the Konoha Shinobi were still capable at fighting at anywhere close to their original level.

Tapping his cane on the wooden deck, he began his speech without preamble.

"Listen up, you lot!" he shouted, "Up there, that fool Zabuza is fighting the Konoha Shinobi the old drunkard hired. Right about now, both sides should be exhausted and easy pickings. Kill 'em all as soon as I give you the word. The man who brings me the head of the so-called 'Demon of the Bloody Mist' gets made the general of my new army and a share of his bounty. Any man who brings me any of the Kunoichi _alive_ and _in one piece _gets a captaincy in my army and a cut of the profits when they're sold as sex slaves. Understood?!"

"YEAH!" the men roared. Kunoichi sold well as sex slaves, so even a small cut from their sale would be a nice little boost to their wallets. The scum that Gatō hired had absolutely no qualms about selling other humans into slavery as long as it didn't happen to them.

"Raise the boarding ramp!" Gatō's bodyguard, a former samurai from Hi no Kuni, ordered.

Gatō, being fairly intelligent, had realised that there was no way he could climb up a rope like the men he hired could, so had altered the plan so one of the boarding ramps, used to board one of his supercargo transports that made trips between Yuki no Kuni (Land of Snow), Mizu no Kuni and Nami no Kuni, was placed between the ship and the bridge.

The business magnate watched as the crew swarmed over the deck, securing it before sending a pair of sailors up to secure the top part to the bridge.

"Secured!" the crewmen reported from the bridge before coming back down.

"Hayate, take your squad up to guard the top while everyone else is climbing." Gatō ordered the nearest merc.

"On it, boss." the man said, leading a mixed bunch of samurai and mercs up the boarding ramp.

After Hayate gave the all clear, the disembarking proceeded apace, until only Gatō and four cloaked and hooded figures remained on the deck.

"Shadow us." Gatō ordered them bluntly, "If you see something odd or suspicious, attack immediately. Zabuza is your priority, then that damn brat of his."

One of the figures nodded before the brown cloak the figure wore expanded to cover all of them, then vanishing.

The small man shivered slightly before hurrying up the ramp. Dealing with these people was worse than dealing with Zabuza. The Demon of the Bloody Mist was arrogant and had a barely restrained aura of KI at all times, but _those_ four…it was like they weren't even there. They barely even spoke and they never removed their cloaks.

It had taken quite a bit of finagling to smuggle the four of them into Nami after one of his agents in Yugakure no Sato (Village Hidden in Hot Water) had found a team of Shinobi to take out Zabuza at Gatō's request.

With a snort of disgust, Gatō set foot on the bridge proper. The idiots in charge of the village might think that by disarming and ceasing to be a proper Hidden Village, they could just blindly forget about wars, thanks to their numerous treaties with the countries surrounding them, Shimogakure (Village Hidden in Frost), Konohagakure, Ta no Kuni (Land of Rice Paddies) and the like.

The truth was, they had merely made themselves the hotspot for people to meet clandestinely. Assassins looking for marks, crime bosses like himself meeting their subordinates, despots taking a break…the list went on. The so-called 'Village-that-has-forgotten-War' was more like 'The-Village-that-buries-its-head-in-the-sand-to-ignore-reality'.

Those four, all put together, were more than a match for Zabuza and his pet Oinin, while his three-hundred-strong army of bandits and scum overwhelmed the Konoha Shinobi with sheer weight of numbers. It was a simple plan, but none the less an effective one which had been tried and tested over the years.

Gatō walked through his army and gestured for them to start moving along the bridge. He kept himself concealed behind the tall figures in front of him. Being small, while irritating, _did_ have its advantages.

A hand tapped his shoulder, his bodyguard indicating that they were within speaking distance. Gatō waltzed forwards, his men parting respectfully before him, allowing him to see the battlefield for the first time

Zabuza, he could see, was beaten. He had two kunai in each arm that had paralyzed them, making them flop uselessly at his side. He was covered in blood, to the point it was dripping down in thin streams, pooling at his feet. His great blade, which Gatō planned to sell back to Kirigakure, was nowhere to be seen.

The opponent wasn't much better off, with a long gash across his chest, which was heaving at the exertion he had just taken part in. His silver hair and lone crimson eye marked him as Hatake Kakashi, the Copy Ninja.

'_Heh. Wonder if that __**Sharin**__-something-or-other is worth any money?_' Gatō cackled internally. Externally, he merely smirked smugly.

A bit further back, the Demon Brothers were trussed up like a Christmas Turkey and a bunch of kids sitting on them, with a raven-haired beauty standing over them. Gatō decided there and then to have her in his bed that night.

The punk that shish kebabed his arm was lying on the ground behind Zabuza with a hole in his chest. Good riddance to bad rubbish, in Gatō's opinion, but he was sorry he didn't get the chance to kill the little bastard himself.

Standing over the punk's body was a voluptuous purple-haired Kunoichi that almost made Gatō salivate with desire. Her outfit didn't leave much to the imagination and what little was covered by cloth tantalized the viewer with possibility.

'_OK, that one will be in my bed tonight. The other one will do for tomorrow._' Gatō corrected his earlier thought.

Stepping to just a foot in front of the massed army, Gatō gave a dark chuckle that attracted the attention of the Shinobi.

"Kehehehehe…Man, you've been beaten badly, eh Zabuza?" he taunted, "You look like leftover sashimi. I must confess to being…disappointed."

"Gatō…" Zabuza snarled angrily, "Why are you here…? And what is with that group of trash behind you?"

"Ah, well, there's the funny thing." the Crime Boss smirked, "There's been a change of plans. You are going to die here…Zabuza!"

"What?!" the Nuke-nin hissed angrily.

"Hiring Hidden Village Ninja costs a pretty penny." Gatō told him, "Far more than is worth the fuss and feathers. Therefore, I hire Nuke-nins like you and, when the job is completed, kill them off. Haaaah…if you ninja had just killed each other off, it would have saved me a lot of time and effort. Not to mention _money_."

The angry faces of not only Zabuza, but every shinobi on the bridge was more than a little unnerving and Gatō had to restrain himself from stepping back. To alleviate his fear, he verbally lashed out at Zabuza again.

"Heh…and you call yourself the 'Demon of the Bloody Mist'? Demon my ass! If you ask me, you're just a cute, harmless little devil!"

His men laughed and jeered at the bloody form of Zabuza, who just looked at his tormentor in a calculating way.

Then, suddenly, kunai flew from above, each aimed at one of the shinobi. When they hit, the targets, Zabuza, Kakashi, the raven-haired woman and the purple-haired woman, they vanished in a puff of smoke.

"What the…?!" Gatō exclaimed in shock.

"They have been deceiving us." a hoarse voice informed him as his four trump cards appeared in front of him in a ripple of air, "Kaguya, Genjutsu dispel, now."

One of the cloaked figures revealed bandage-wrapped hands as she/he formed the Ram handsign and shouted, "_**KAI!**_"

In a massive ripple, the area-genjutsu covering the bridge was dropped, revealing the Konoha contingent, as well as Zabuza and Haku, glaring at the newcomers in confusion and anger.

"Well now, " Kakashi said with a small sigh, "that didn't work."

"No shit, Baka!" the purple-haired woman barked.

Gatō ground his teeth in frustration. Great. Just fucking _great_. Zabuza was, as far as he could tell, perfectly fine, as was his brat. The silver-haired bastard and the purple-haired bitch looked tired, but still able to fight. The Demon Brothers were gone, as was the drunk. And…was that Zōri and Waraji tied up and hanging from the crane there like a fucking tree ornament? What the _fuck_ was going on?

The Crime Boss spotted a new face standing next to Zabuza, a red/blond-haired girl in a red trench coat. Shit. She must have been the one his scout had reported had stayed at the old drunk's home when he sent his two bodyguards to capture the bitch and brat.

"Orders." the hoarse-voiced man asked flatly.

"Ah…right. Kill them all, apart from the women. Capture them." Gatō ordered.

"Roger that." the man said flatly, "Kaguya, take the other two women. Keisuke, deal with the brats. I'll hold off _**Sharingan**_ no Kakashi while Tomoe eliminates Zabuza and his apprentice."

"Who the fuck are you four?" Zabuza spat.

"Us?" a female voice asked mockingly, "We're _**Ashura no Shimen (Four Faces of the Asura)**_. You might have heard of us."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Kakashi's Perspective…**

The Copy Ninja frowned when he heard the name of the group. The Bounty Hunter group _**Ashura no Shimen**_ was infamous among the Elemental Nations for their bloodlust and strength in battle. They specialised in defeating strong Nuke-nin and the occasional high-bounty Hidden Village Shinobi.

They were very effective and answered to no Kage or village, merely acting as they pleased. Made up of two ninja and two kunoichi, they had reputedly never lost a battle. Their identities were an mystery, as were their abilities, as no one who had fought them had ever survived.

"Genin, hold out against any attacks." he ordered flatly, "These are Shōkin Kubigari (Bounty Headhunter) Shinobi and have no problems killing kids, unlike Haku-san over there."

"Gotcha." Naruko nodded as she hefted her sword into a ready position, "Hey Zabuza! Last one to defeat their opponent owes a favour to the other!"

"Heh. You're on, brat." Zabuza snorted in amusement.

"There will _be_ no later for you all." the apparent leader of the foursome said flatly, "Go!"

At his command, his companions leapt to the attack, swiftly followed by the man himself, drawing an extra-long kunai as he did. The Genin immediately fell back to a considerable distance down the bridge, Kurenai and Anko stopped a respectable distance away from them, while Zabuza and Haku moved to about halfway between Kakashi and the two Mistresses of Konoha. All were pursued by their respective opponents.

Having used a moderately large amount of chakra not too long ago, Kakashi had popped a _**Hyōrōgan**_ (_**Soldier Pill)**_ just before the genjutsu had been dispelled and the effects were now being felt full force. His chakra was back at maximum and he felt all shreds of tiredness fade away.

Still, he decided to draw this out and see what his opponent was capable of before committing himself. That was what he usually did when facing an opponent of unknown strength and he had more than a little cause to be cautious of this particular opponent.

"Maa, Maa, this is quite irritating." he said as he lazily parried his foe's first thrust with a kunai, "Might you have a name, or will I have to call you 'Teki-san' all the time?"

"Hachidoro Kaen." the man replied hoarsely, "You need no introduction, Hatake Kakashi. Your bounty will be quite satisfying to collect."

"If you can." Kakashi pointed out glibly.

The two began exchanging thrusts, parries, ripostes and slashes with their kunai at ever-increasing speeds, until their arms were mere blurs to the sight of ordinary men.

Gatō decided to sit back and watch everything unfold, rather than getting his men killed unnecessarily. The paperwork that would cause, urgh!

"Settle down, you guys." he ordered, "Last thing you want to do is get mixed up in _that_."

Seeing the blur of combat that Kakashi and Kaen were locked in, the mercs and bandits agreed with their boss completely.

**Genin vs. Keisuke…**

"Why do I always get left with babysitting duty?" the large man grumbled. He had a voice like rocks grinding together that fitted his six-foot height. Hell, his cloak barely covered to below his knees, exposing the red sandals, with black spider-like symbols on them.

"So your name is Keisuke, huh?" Naruko asked looking him up and down, "Happen to have a surname to go along with that?"

The rest of the Genin were spread out behind her, ready to react to the slightest hint of aggression from him. Even Sasuke wasn't chafing at the bit to fight this one.

"Impudent brat." Keisuke sighed, "The name is Onigumo Keisuke, brat…not that it'll matter to you girls once I capture you. Gatō'll make you into slaves before the end of the month."

"And…that doesn't bother you?" Naruko checked.

"Nope." Keisuke shook his head slightly, "As long as I get paid, the little shit can use you as he pleases."

"Right. So you are _scum_ of the _lowest_ order." Naruko nodded seriously, "Just checking. Now then, time to dance."

"Heh. Cocky little whore." the man grunted and threw off his cloak, revealing his full body for the first time.

"Kami!" Sakura went green at what he had revealed. Ino and Hinata weren't exactly fine either.

Emerging from his torso were four more arms, but not ordinary arms. _Spider's_ arms, each half-again as long as his human arms, black and chitinous, with red spots speckling them as he stretched them out.

"Damn, I hate hiding my _**Onigumo no Kyaku (Legs of the Demon Spider)**_." Keisuke complained as he flexed them, "Really makes them stiff after a while."

"A Kekkei Genkai?" Sasuke asked out of morbid curiosity.

"Yep. My Clan -before we got ourselves wiped out- had a Kekkei Genkai that manifested itself in a different way depending on whether we were male or female. Males get the _**Onigumo no Kyaku**_, females got the _**Jorōgumo no Hōyō (Embrace of the Whore Spider)**_." Keisuke said as he manipulated his arachnid appendages, "The females were _nasty_. They had mandibles and everything. Yuck, eh?"

"Definitely." Kiba said with a revolted look on his face.

"All warmed up now?" Naruko asked.

"Yep." the Bounty Hunter nodded, "Now to wrap you ladies up and kill the boys."

"Not happening." Naruko said flatly as she charged forwards.

In response, Keisuke sent a lightening-fast stab with one of his legs that Naruko barely parried with her _**Kongōgatana**_. She dodged two further stabs before being sent flying with a club-like attack to her face.

Landing on her feet, she spat some blood from her mouth. "Looks like this needs a bit more firepower." she said grimly.

Right on cue, a dozen of her _**Kage Bunshin **_released the _**Henge**_ _**no Jutsu**_ that had kept them as rocks around the area and leapt into the attack with kunai bared.

"Hah! _**Kumo-Zashi! (Spider Stab!)**_" Keisuke responded with a grin. His spider legs lanced out and struck down clone after clone with a speed that they could barely see, let alone react to.

"This…_could_ be troublesome, to quote Shikamaru." Naruko said in perfect deadpan.

"Gee, ya think!" Ino responded in equal deadpan.

**Kaguya vs. Anko and Kurenai…**

"Ara, ara, two little dolls, all in a row." the mocking female voice, "How nice of Kaen-sama to give such delicacies to me, Hoshikuzu Kaguya."

"Great, a grandstander. Just what we needed." Anko grumbled.

"You are interfering in an official mission of Konohagakure no Sato." Kurenai told Kaguya firmly, "Cease this at once."

"Hmmm…nope." the woman said cheerfully, "Where would the fun be in that? I hope you two are resilient, otherwise this will be over _way_ too quickly."

She threw off her clock to reveal a violet battle kimono that fell to her knees and a Hoshigakure (Village Hidden Among Stars) hitai-ate with a scratched line though it. She had violet hair that was roughly cut into a bob and green eyes that practically begged for blood to be spilt.

"A Nuke-nin from Hoshigakure, eh?" Anko said narrowing her eyes in concentration, "Not a village I've ever seen any Nuke-nin from."

"Oh, I'm the only one since the founding." Kaguya said cheerfully, "I disobeyed an edict made by the Sandaime Hoshikage and refused to recant, so I was to be put to death. I escaped though."

"Obviously." drawled Anko, "Now lets get busy!"

She ran at the woman who giggled girlishly before putting her hands into a special handsign.

"_**Ninpō: **__**Kujaku Myōhō no Jutsu! (Ninja Art: Mysterious Peacock Method Jutsu!)**_" she sang angelically, which contrasted sharply with the evil grin on her face as she performed the jutsu.

Purple chakra bloomed out of her back, forming a large peacock-like tail feather arrangement, which was probably the origin of the jutsu's name.

"Shit, the signature technique of Hoshi. Just fucking brilliant." Anko muttered as she sent a small barrage of kunai at the woman as she grew closer to her.

Kaguya just laughed and remade the special handsign. "_**Zan! (Destroy!)**_"

One 'feather' of the tail grew and transformed itself into a long blade that smashed the kunai out of the air with a slight flick before returning to its original shape.

"_**Sen'eijashu!**_" Anko launched her favourite jutsu at the woman when she drew close enough, the four snakes hissing as they lanced at the Hoshigakure Nuke-nin.

"_**Chakra no Nuwa! (Chakra Rope!)**_" Kaguya countered, extending one hand at the incoming snakes. Three threads the same colour as the chakra tail on her back flew out of her hand and wrapped up Anko's _**Sen'eijashu**_ until they couldn't even move, then the woman sent another _**Zan**_ at them, cutting them up and sending their bodies back to the snake realm.

"Grrr…_**Katon: Karyūdan!**_" Anko sent the B-Rank Ninjutsu at the woman from relatively close range, but all Kaguya did in reply was form that damnable handsign again.

"_**Yoku! (Wings!)**_" with that command, the chakra coming out of her back became a set of…well, _wings_, that lifted her out of the way of the jutsu in plenty of time.

"Ahhahahahahahaha!" the Nuke-nin laughed as she landed gracefully, her wings reverting to the chakra-feather tail, "This is fun! Really, _really_ fun!"

"This one might be troublesome." Kurenai murmured to herself. She had stayed back to analyze the woman's jutsu. It had to be one of the most versatile jutsu she had ever seen. Offence, defence, evasion…all wrapped up in one neat package.

There had to be a weakness though, if she could just find it…

**Zabuza and Haku vs. Tomoe…**

The Demon of the Bloody Mist was seriously pissed off. Actually, _monumentally_ pissed off would be a better description. The reason was obvious. His employer had tried to stab him in the back and kill him, as well as Haku.

Granted, Zabuza had planned to kill the little arse himself, but that would have been _after_ he had been paid and would not have been Gatō's hired ninja anymore at that point, so the midget would have been fair game.

"Hehehehehee~!" the cloaked girl giggled as she removed her cloak, "Ohhh! Fun toys! Must play! Play, play, play!"

Haku sweat dropped at the girl's antics, as well as her appearance. She had rainbow-coloured hair, black eyes, a vest that looked as if it had been tie-dyed into its current flowery appearance, white shorts that had flowers stuck on haphazardly and yellow sandals.

All in all, she was…the most laughable excuse for a kunoichi the two Nuke-nin had ever seen. She even had face paint that made her look like someone out of a Kabuki theatre performance.

'_If I had been beaten by her, I wouldn't tell anyone about it._' Zabuza thought with horror. If she _did_ beat him, he'd crawl into a hole and cover it up after him.

"Haku…test her." Zabuza ordered.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied. She dashed forwards and, drawing back her fist, began one of her few Taijutsu attack combos. She preferred to fight from a distance with her senbon and jutsu, but was skilled in close combat as well.

Oddly enough, the girl didn't even try to dodge. She just hummed and stared vacantly at something, which creeped Haku out for some reason. Ignoring the girl's face, she lashed out with her fists several times, followed up with a few kicks, the final one sending the flower girl flying into the air.

Haku leapt after her and drew a handful of senbon. Appearing above the girl she threw the senbon with chakra-enhanced strength, which made each senbon hit like a bullet. All the senbon struck dead centre and sent the girl sailing onto the surface of the bridge with a loud thump.

'_What is with this girl? She didn't even try to avoid any part of my __**Nadare Mai (Avalanche Dance)**_ _technique._' Haku frowned behind her mask.

"Ehehehehehe…" the girl leapt back to her feet, utterly unharmed, "That was fun! My turn! _**Iro Ninpō: **__**Aooni no Jutsu! (Colour Ninja Art: Blue Ogre Jutsu!)**_"

The girl's clothes flashed, before becoming entirely blue, much to Haku's surprise. Even her sandals and face paint were blue now.

Drawing her fist back, the girl squealed "Wheee!" as she threw a punch at Haku, who dodged it. It was a very good thing that she did, as the wind pressure from the missed punch sent the last of the Yuki Clan flying back ten paces.

"Awww. I missed!" the girl pouted, "Tomoe's sad!"

"Who are you?!" Haku demanded, "What is this jutsu that you use?"

"Tomoe?" the girl said in puzzlement, "Tomoe is Shikiki Tomoe. All alone now! Can make pretty colours do stuff! Like _**Iro Ninpō: Shiro Yoroi (Colour Ninja Art: White Armour)**_. When that up, no can be hurt!"

'_Incredible. She has a Hiden Ninjutsu of such capabilities. White is her armour, while blue must increase her physical strength by a considerable amount._' Haku's keen mind considered the applications of such a jutsu. If you included all the different shades and hues of the spectrum, there must be hundreds of different jutsu that she could deploy at the drop of a hat.

"You are very dangerous." Haku said slowly, "I must put you down before you harm my master."

"Nope! Nope, nope, nope!" Tomoe said with a giggle, "Can't be done! Tomoe is invincible. Hasn't ever been beaten, except by Kaen-nii."

"Not even by your…friends?" Haku asked as she made the handsign Zabuza had nicknamed the 'Crossed-Tiger' handsign.

"Nope! Keisuke-nii is too easy!" Tomoe giggled, "And ugly! Never fought Kaguya-nee before but Tomoe thinks she can win!"

"It would be wise to abandon your arrogance." Haku advised her, "As well as pay attention to your feet."

"Tomoe's feet?" the girl, who Haku would guess at being perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old, looked down at her feet, which Haku had frozen to the ground as they spoke.

"Waaaah! Tomoe's feet are ice cubes!" the girl wailed.

"And now for the rest of you." Haku made another handsign that looked like an upside down version of the Crossed Tiger, making the ice flash-grow, covering the girl in an instant. She stood there, frozen solid, which was rather amusing, given the look of comedic horror on her face.

Haku then created several large senbon out of ice and threw them at the frozen girl, shattering the ice and sending the girl flying again.

"Owwie!" Tomoe complained as she haphazardly landed on her feet, "That hurt!"

Haku was agape at this. The girl had just withstood her _**Bakusai**_ _**Hyōshō (Blasting Ice-Crystal)**_ without suffering anything other than pain! She should be absolutely unable to move from the pain and numbness of being flash frozen!

"Achooo!" Tomoe sneezed, "Tomoe's caught a cold now! Fix it! _**Iro Ninpō: **__**Sekinetsu no Jutsu! (Colour Ninja Art: Red-Hot Jutsu!)**_"

Her clothes rippled for a moment before turning from red to blue and Haku could feel the heat radiating from her.

'_Her __**Aooni**__ Jutsu must also provide some sort of minor armour, as well as some type of increased physical reinforcement._' Haku theorised, '_It would make sense that the colours act as some sort of armour, regardless of its actual intent. She is a tough one._'

"Assessment, Haku?" Zabuza asked.

"A tricky customer, Zabuza-sama." Haku replied, eyes locked on the girl before her as she stamped her feet in an effort to hurry up her warming up, "I believe it will require both of us to defeat her."

"Alright then." Zabuza reached up and drew his sword, the blade's highly polished surface reflecting some of the sunlight that broke through the mist, "Let's get to it then."

**Kaen vs. Kakashi…**

'_This…is a cause for concern._' Kakashi conceded to himself. He was currently exchanging blows with Kaen, who hadn't slowed down at all since the first exchange. He was pushing himself at a level that the Copy Ninja found difficult to believe he could maintain. Even Kakashi himself could only move at such high speeds for a set duration before he had to take a rest.

Kaen, on the other hand, seemed to have inhuman stamina and endurance. He seemed quite willing to exchange blows with him indefinitely, which made the lazy Jonin think that he had some kind of body enhancement Kekkei Genkai or Hiden Jutsu that gave him such ridiculous stamina.

Abruptly, Kaen stopped and leapt back slightly, making Kakashi wary. To his surprise, a small laugh erupted from the cloaked man.

"Ah-ha-ha! It has been quite some time since someone was able to match me in Taijutsu!" Kaen declared, "This job might be more interesting than I thought!"

"So glad to have pleased you." Kakashi said dryly.

"Time to kick it up a notch!" the leader of the _**Ashura no Shimen **_said as he removed his cloak. He was bald, with a patchwork of scars across both his face and the crown of his head. He wore no top, but had an odd tattoo over his heart that was a futatsudomoe (Double Tomoe) design. He wore black trousers and had a thick white rope belt tied in a complex knot at the back. He also wore black shinobi sandals.

His eyes though, drew Kakashi's attention. Both eyes were entirely red, the iris, pupils and sclera were a deep crimson colour that were much darker that that of the _**Sharingan**_, to the point it resembled dried blood.

"Those are some…interesting eyes you've got there." he observed.

"Heh…like 'em?" Kaen said with an arrogant smirk, "My _**Higan (Fire Eyes)**_ are the best damn weapons in the Elemental Nations."

"A Ninjutsu-based dōjutsu?" Kakashi said calmly, "That's a rarity."

"Isn't it just!" Kaen said in that hoarse voice of his, "Now you will taste the power of my _**Higan**_! _**Me Hakka: **__**Nenshō Keshin! (Eye Ignite: Combustion Incarnate!)**_"

The kanji for fire appearing in both of the Bounty Hunter's eyes was all the warning Kakashi needed to dodge away from his current position. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he saw the spot he had stood in only moments ago engulfed in a ball of white-hot fire.

"Tch. Missed." Kaen grumbled, "Seems you're just as quick on your feet as you are in Taijutsu. That is easily remedied. _**Me Hakka: **__**Kaen Kasoku! (Eye Ignite: Flame Accelerate!)**_"

'_Great. He's arrogant enough to name techniques after himself._' Kakashi deadpanned to himself as he leapt and dodged a multitude of fist-sized fireballs appearing where he had previously stood, '_He seems to have the ability to create and control fire just by looking at where he wants to attack. The speed that the flames are created at is only middling though. At this speed, I think a counterattack is in order…_'

Running through handsigns rapidly, Kakashi said, "_**Suiton: **__**Suiryūdan no Jutsu! (Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!)**_"

From the plentiful mist about them, a long, sinuous dragon was formed out of water. It was a bit on the small side, but Kakashi ignored that as it roared and flew at Kaen like a missile.

"Nice try! _**Me Hakka: Enten **__**Shōheki! (Eye Ignite: Flame Heaven Barrier!)**_" Kaen roared, creating a large fireball that then shot forward and exploded into an enormous conflagration as soon as it touched the _**Suiryūdan**_.

The backlash of the air pressure almost sent Kakashi flying. This guy was no joke; he was really playing for keeps.

"You showed me your dragon; now I'll show you mine!" Kaen called mockingly at Kakashi over the roar of the flames, "_**Me Hakka: En**__**ryū no Mai! (Eye Ignite: Dance of the Flame Dragon!)**_"

Rather than create flames anew, this time Kaen manipulated the still-present flames from his _**Enten **__**Shōheki**_, forming a large dragon formed entirely from flames, which roared loudly at Kakashi, who sweat dropped.

"Oh…shit." was all he could say. Seriously, how much chakra did this guy _have_? Even although he had created that dragon from flames that were already present, and thus drastically reducing the chakra cost of the jutsu, Kaen's _**Enten **__**Shōheki**_ had been created from nothing and the Copy Ninja personally ranked it as High A-Rank.

That, combined with the chakra cost of maintaining his _**Higan**_ and the two fire jutsu he had used already, added up to a considerable amount of chakra, even for a Jonin, and yet Kaen was looking like he was just having a light spar.

"Maa…what a fucking mission this is turning into." Kakashi groused.

**Genin vs. Keisuke…**

"_**Kumonosu: Nori-mō! (Spider Web: Glue Net!)**_" Keisuke spat a large glob of…something…at Ino and Sakura. It unfolded into a large cobweb-shaped net that entangled the two girls. The more they struggled, the tighter it became.

"Hinata-chan, help them." Naruko ordered, "Kiba, Akamaru, Sasuke, back me up!"

Even the broody emo moved at her command without complaint, a small part of her noted as she contemplated the man before her. They had been trying to break through his guard for a while now, with no success. He was fast, surprisingly so for a man of his size.

He was highly manoeuvrable as well, thanks to his _**Onigumo no Kyaku**_, which was why this was so difficult. He could use his spider legs as clubs, swords and spears all rolled into one. Add into the fact they were unbelievably fast, at least Jonin-level speed, and you got the current situation.

"Heh. Give it up, kids." Keisuke said as he crossed his human arms, "I'm faster, stronger and more experienced. You don't stand a chance."

"You'll pardon me if I'm not so eager to allow myself to be turned into that fat little bastard's sex toy." Naruko said dryly.

"Point." the spider-man admitted, "It's still going to happen though, whether you like it or not."

"Like I said before; not happening." the Uzumaki Heiress shot back as she slammed her sword into the ground and formed a familiar handsign, "_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

In a massive explosion of chakra smoke, an entire army of Shadow Clones surrounded the man, swords drawn and ready to use. Keisuke looked around in shock for a moment before grinning widely.

"Oh-_hoh_! So you had this little number up your sleeve, did you? I should have guessed after the Clone ambush earlier on, but _this_…?" he shook his head, "Looks like I'm going to be challenged here...at long _last! _Bring it, brat!"

"Charge!" Naruko ordered her clone army. As they obscured her from sight, she sent hand signals to Kiba and Sasuke, who nodded and moved to follow her orders.

Keisuke moved with quick precision, destroying clone after clone with his spider legs, while he gleefully punched and kicked with his human limbs. Were it not for the fact that the spider legs looked hideous, the way he moved might have been called elegant.

"Tactic Number Seven!" Naruko ordered.

"_**Henge!**_" several clones transformed themselves into large metal shields.

"What on earth are you doing kid?" Keisuke asked as he turned to look at her oddly, "The _**Henge no Jutsu**_ is an illusion, not an actual transformation."

"Y'don't say?" Naruko said smugly, "I'm going to have to think of a new name for my original jutsu then."

Several of her clones picked up the clone-shields and began to cautiously advance on the spider-man. Keisuke tried to simply bat them to one side, but the clones slammed the shields down and withstood the attack.

"What the…?!" Keisuke gapped at this. An _actual_ solid transformation Jutsu. Such a thing was almost unheard of and even the few he had heard of only allowed a person to change their appearance to someone of a similar build. Such drastic changes as this were supposed to be impossible, consigned to myth and folktales.

"Interesting…_really damn interesting!_" he roared in joy, "A worthy opponent indeed!"

"And me and my army are just getting started!" Naruko said bravely. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that Hinata had finally freed Sakura and Ino from their sticky -and disgusting- prison. She signalled them to stand back.

"Let's see how you handle this little number…" the large man grinned, "_**Kaiten Kumo: Shikyaku no Mai! (Revolving Spider: Dance of Four Legs!)**_"

A second later and he began to spin rapidly in place. Without moving _any_ of his legs. Naruko was puzzled as to how he was doing it, until she noticed that he seemed to be floating about six inches off the ground.

'_Wind Chakra! He's floating on a cushion of Wind Chakra that he's manipulating to make him spin very rapidly!_' Naruko realised as she saw a small tornado of dirt and dust beneath the spider man.

"Yeeehhaaaa!" Keisuke cheered, "Now then, lets get to the good bit!"

He then moved so swiftly that he looked like a blur to Naruko's eyes, a whirling dervish that battered the clone-shields and shield bearers into puffs of smoke before moving on to the rest of the clones. Naruko winced as she received several memories from her clones of being smashed by chitinous spider legs that felt like solid steel pipes.

After most of the clones were dispelled, Keisuke stopped spinning and landed back on the ground, looking slightly dazed from all the spinning.

"Yeah? Yeah! Wahoo! What a rush!" he exulted, "You got anything else to throw at me before I take you down, brat?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Naruko smiled coldly, "Now!"

At her command, several large bags of cement powder flew into the air above Keisuke, who looked up to see them.

"_**Gatsūga!**_" Kiba roared as he and Akamaru leapt through the air, shredding the bags and dispersing the unmixed cement across the whole area that Keisuke stood before zooming well away from the spider-man.

"Wha..? Ptui!" Keisuke spluttered as he got some of the dust in his eyes and mouth.

"Sasuke, NOW!" Naruko roared.

"_**Katon: **__**Hōsenka**__** no Jutsu!**_" the Last Uchiha snarled as he leapt into the air. He unleashed several small fireballs at Keisuke, who glanced around him in sudden realisation.

More shadow clones appeared from the ground, transformed into rocks for this very moment.

"_**Konbi Henge: **__**Iwa Himitsu-Bako no Jutsu! (Combination Transformation: Rock Puzzle Box Jutsu!)**_ the clones cried as they collectively transformed into an enormous rock box-like building with a grill on the top…just as the flames of the _**Hōsenka**_ ignited the floating cement dust floating in midair.

"Oh, Shi-" was all Onigumo Keisuke got out as the hastily crafted dust explosion blew him, the clone box and everything within ten meters to kingdom come, even blasting a hole in the bridge, right through the sturdy construction that Tazuna had designed and into the sea, boiling quite a bit of the water before the explosion abated.

Thrown high into the air by the force of the explosion, Sasuke was a bit singed and battered, but was otherwise fine. A situation that might well change if he didn't do something about his rapid descent to the surface of the water beneath him.

"Grab on!" Naruko yelled as she threw a _**Kage Bunshin **_at Sasuke from where she stood on the very edge of the bridge. She had legged it as soon as Sasuke had began his Fire Jutsu, taking Hinata, Sakura and Ino with her.

With a grunt, Sasuke caught the clone, which immediately clambered over him and transformed into a parachute. Breathing a sigh of relief, Sasuke sent a dark look at Naruko, which promised she would pay for this.

"Jeez, it wasn't like I knew it would be so strong." Naruko muttered defensively while Ino and Sakura tore a strip off her for being so reckless, "I read about dust explosions in an old book I found at Tazuna-san's house, but I didn't think it would be _this_ explosive!"

"A-Ano…" Hinata interjected, "Naruko-chan has a point. Besides, I-I don't think we were getting rid of h-him any time soon o-otherwise."

"Fine…" Sakura conceded.

"…but try not to kill Sasuke-kun again!" Ino finished with a glare.

"Hai, Ino-chan."

**Kaguya vs. Anko and Kurenai…**

Kurenai stepped forwards to assist Anko. This had gone on for long enough. The Hoshigakure Nuke-nin might be tough, but there were at least two weaknesses she could exploit in the _**Kujaku Myōhō no Jutsu**_.

"Anko! Fall back!" she called.

After a moment, the Snake Mistress joined her friend at a safe distance from Kaguya, breathing heavily from her exertions against Kaguya.

"Hope you have a plan, 'Nai-chan, cause I'm out of ideas." Anko said breathlessly.

"Here." Kurenai gave her a _**Hyōrōgan**_, "You should have taken one before all this. Using the _**Karyū Endan **_always takes a lot of energy out of you."

"Meh." Anko grunted after gulping down the pill, "How was I to know _this_ shit would happen?"

"Focus. This is the plan…" Kurenai whispered into her friend's ear in short, concise sentences.

"You really think that'll work?" Anko asked sceptically as Kaguya used her _**Yoku**_ jutsu to advance towards them.

"It's our best shot." Kurenai muttered.

"Awww…are the little dolls trying to scheme something?" Kaguya sneered gentility.

"What is your damage? Seriously!" Anko said irritably.

"Heh…I just _love_ killing other kunoichi." Kaguya said arrogantly, "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Great, a psycho." Anko deadpanned, causing a dangerous light to appear in the Hoshigakure Nuke-nin's eyes.

"_**Kemono! (Beast!)**_" she hissed as she formed the _**Kujaku's**_ special Handsign again.

Her chakra-feathers shifted and split. Three of them transformed into a dog-like creature with glowing yellow eyes. It growled at Anko before leaping at her. The Snake Mistress noted that it was still connected to Kaguya, even as she dodged the beast and led it away, pelting it with shuriken.

After a couple of minutes of this, the chakra beast still couldn't pin Anko down. Kaguya, who was completely ignoring Kurenai, was getting angrier and angrier with every passing second.

"Grrr…Fine! I'll trap you with two of them! _**Kemono!**_" she snarled, creating another chakra beast from three of her four remaining chakra-feathers and sending it to perform a pincer manoeuvre with her first one in an attempt to trap Anko. She was so focussed on killing Anko that she ignored the odd sensation of something stabbing through her kimono.

"Like two fake monsters scare me!" Anko yelled, "_**Kuchiyose no Jutsu: **__**Jaō Hakuten! (Summoning Jutsu: Snake King Hakuten!)**_"

In an explosion of chakra smoke, an enormous purple snake with black circle patterns on his scales and two white horn-like protrusions on the back of his head.

"**Anko…who is my opponent today?"** boomed the large snake.

"That crazy bitch with the evil chakra, Hakuten-sama." Anko replied, pointing at Kaguya, who was gaping at the Snake King in shock.

A little known fact about the snake summons of Ryūchidō is that while Manda was the Boss Summon of them, thus the strongest snake summon in existence at S-Rank, there were numerous areas of the cave system ruled by lesser, but still powerful, A-Rank summons known as Snake Kings. The strongest of them all was Hakuten as a Mid-A Rank.

Anko had accidentally summoned him one day while training in the Forest of Death and they had hit it off. Their relationship, based on a mutual dislike of Manda and Orochimaru, was such that most of Anko's snake summons came exclusively from Hakuten's brood, such as Serena, Anko's personal summon.

"Holy crap!" Kaguya squawked, "_**Gōsei! (Synthesis!)**_"

At her panicked command, the two chakra-beasts fused together and grew to being only slightly smaller than Hakuten. It resembled a sort of phantasmal chimera of some sort. Kaguya also sent her last chakra feather to join with the chakra-fusion-beast, allowing it to grow to the same size as the Snake King.

"**Hmmmm….I see."** Hakuten rumbled, **"Hoshigakure's infamous **_**Kujaku Myōhō no Jutsu**_**. Powerful and flexible. Woman, you do realise the more you utilise that technique, the more likely you are to die?"**

Kaguya scowled at this.

In exchange for power, the shinobi of Hoshigakure dance on a knife's edge. The _**Kujaku Myōhō no Jutsu**_ comes from Star Training, which involves one exposing oneself to the radiation of the Star of Hoshigakure, which granted the user incredible powers and access to supernatural chakra, at the cost of the possibility of debilitating injuries and a whole host of medical issues.

Even when one completes the training, there is a risk of death with every use of the jutsu, which becomes more and more likely with every usage until it becomes certain death to invoke the jutsu.

"So what?" Kaguya sneered, "I am sterile, so I was never going to have kids; wouldn't have wanted any anyway. I only care for myself and my pleasures and no one will stand in my way!"

"**Foolish ****and**** stupid."** Hakuten shook his head slowly, **"I can smell that you haven't long left, so I shall put you out of your misery…starting with this bastardisation of a beast. **_**Dokueki-Dan! (Venom Bullet!)**_**"**

A turquoise-coloured blob erupted from his mouth and struck the chakra-beast head on. After a moment, it gave a shriek and dissolved into its original chakra feathers, which returned to Kaguya, who wasn't looking too confident right now.

"Damn you!" she shrieked desperately, "_**ZAN!**_"

Her chakra-feathers all changed to attack-form this time and lanced out at Hakuten and Anko with impressive speed that most inexperienced Jonin would have been unable to dodge.

Anko and Hakuten were _far_ from inexperienced. The Snake King had a further advantage in his highly developed sense of smell. He could literally smell exactly where the chakra born of Hoshigakure's Star was at any given time.

This made it child's play for the massive, but agile, snake to dodge through the purple blades and surround Kaguya, who abruptly clutched her heart. The woman noticed, for the first time, a senbon stuck into her side.

'_Whe…when did that…?_' she though fuzzily through the pain her heart was feeling. Collapsing to her knees, she saw Kurenai standing there, arms crossed and a smile on her face.

"Y-You!" Kaguya gasped, "What…did you do?"

"The knowledge of Hoshigakure's Kinjutsu isn't widely known." Kurenai told her, "It is mentioned, in your Bingo Book entry however, that you attempted to undertake a forbidden training regime and came away with such a high pain tolerance that minor cuts and scrapes don't register with you anymore. A side effect of attempting the Star Training alone, I suspect."

"How…when…" Kaguya begged, even as darkness began to encroach on her vision.

"When you focussed on creating that second chakra-beast." Kurenai told her, "It's one of the most powerful poisons Anko-chan has on her. Just a small dose causes you to have a serious heart attack when you next feel terror. Nine times out of ten, it's a fatal heart attack the victim suffers."

"In other words, bitch," Anko called down, "You go bye-bye!"

Kaguya tried to move her arms to inscribe the symbol for the final _**Kujaku**_ Jutsu, _**Gen'ei (Apparition)**_, but she couldn't. Her body was beyond her control. All she could do was clutch her heart as she died.

"You…may…have beaten…me…" she croaked, "But you…can't…beat…Kean…-sama…"

Her final warning issued, Hoshikuzu Kaguya's eyes rolled back into her head and, with one final shudder, died. Drool leaked from her mouth, making her look thoroughly undignified.

"**An excellent plan, Kurenai-san."** Hakuten complimented her, **"I am a bit miffed at not being able to take care of her personally, but it is the end result that counts."**

"Thank you, Hakuten-sama." Kurenai replied, "Anko wasn't sure it would work, because she only had the one senbon coated with the poison on her. I think she underestimated my aim."

"Oi!" the Tokujō protested this, "It's a legitimate concern! Do you know how _expensive_ that poison is?! I could buy a Meitō for the price the ANBU Poisons and Toxins Division charges me for a _ten millilitre_ vial!"

Kurenai blinked and if Hakuten had had eyelids, he would have blinked as well.

"That's…expensive." Kurenai agreed.

More could have been said, but they were interrupted by an enormous explosion from where the Genin had lured their opponent.

"Sounds like Naru-chan's having fun." Anko commented.

"You mean 'causing indiscriminate damage and havoc to the bridge and everyone on it', don't you Anko?" Kurenai remarked dryly.

"In other words, having fun!" Anko shot back with a pout, making Hakuten and Kurenai sweat drop at her again.

**Tomoe vs. Haku and Zabuza…**

"Rrraaaggghhh!" Zabuza roared as he brought his blade down in a strong slash that should have cleaved the pesky girl in two. Instead, she zipped around him in a blast of yellow.

"Heeeheeeheee!" she teased, "Can't catch me! _**Iro Ninpō: **__**Kiiro Senkō (Colour Ninja Art: Yellow Flash)**_ is waaaaaay too fast to catch me!"

The Demon of the Bloody Mist didn't know which pissed him off more; the fact that he was being teased by a slip of a girl who was obviously simple or the fact she was right.

While not nearly as fast as the Yondaime Hokage's infamous _**Hiraishin**_ _**(Flying Thunder God Jutsu)**_, or even the Sandaime or Yondaime Raikage's fastest attack while under the effect of _**Raiton Chakra **__**Mōdo (Lightening Style Chakra Mode)**_, _**Raitoningu Sutorēto (Lightening Straight)**_, she was still fast enough that the only part of her that his Kubikiribōchō could cut was her shadow.

Even Haku was having trouble keeping up with the brat's speed. She could barely manage to clip Tomoe with her senbon…_if_ she attacked from her blind spot, without the girl sensing that Haku was attacking her.

"Haku! Time to get serious!" Zabuza ground out, his patience with the brat long past exhausted. Time to end this absurdity.

An enormous explosion from the part of the bridge that the Genin had lured their foe caused all three combatants to pause and look in the general direction of the explosion.

They saw a large cloud of smoke, with a large quantity of fire mixed in. Debris began to fall from the sky; wood, metal, tarmac and, oddly enough, pieces of what looked like a giant spider.

"They…they killed Keisuke-nii!" Tomoe wailed, "Meanies! Tomoe will _kill _them once she's done with you two!"

"Heh. Those brats are scary." Zabuza chuckled, "That looks like a Dust Explosion."

"Dust?" Haku asked with a curious lilt to her voice.

"When a _lot_ of dust-like particles -like flour or sawdust- are ignited in a confined space, the resulting explosion is several magnitudes stronger than a regular Kibaku Fuda (Exploding Tag)." Zabuza explained, "I dunno how they managed it, but if their opponent was in the centre of that -which this girl seems to think he was- then there is no _way_ he could have survived unless he had the _**Koton (Steel Style)**_ Kekkei Genkai."

"Grrr!" Tomoe puffed her cheeks out in anger as she glared at Zabuza. It was like being glared at by a small, defenceless dog, only _this_ was no defenceless canine.

The rainbow-haired brat formed the Tiger handsign, which made Zabuza become worried. Up until now, she hadn't used a single handsign to use her odd Hiden Jutsu. It seemed she used it by channelling chakra to a particular colour on her loud outfit, which caused the colour to become predominant, covering the entirety of her outfit, even her hair, and activating a specific effect as a result.

"_**Hiden Iro Ninpō: **__**Kokuei no Haaku! (Hidden Colour Ninja Art: Grasp of the Black Shadow!)**_" the girl ground out. The jutsu took effect immediately.

All of the colours in her clothes and hair leeched away, being replaced by black. Even her skin and eyes became black. It was kind of freaky to watch.

"I haven't used this jutsu since I first met Kaen-nii." Tomoe said with a toss of her head, "Tomoe hates using it, but she has no choice. Now…you two die!"

In a blur of motion that was just as fast as her _**Kiiro**_ _**Senkō**_ jutsu, she ran at Zabuza with her fist drawn back to strike him. He only barely managed to swing his great blade around to act as a shield before she unleashed what had to be an ordinary right straight…that had all the strength of her _**Aooni**_ jutsu behind it.

Zabuza flew back three meters from that blow. Worse, a huge crack appeared in the Kubikiribōchō. Just how strong was this girl when she had that jutsu up and running?

"Owwie!" Tomoe complained, "What is that sword _made_ of? It should have split like a twig when I punched it!"

"Heh…don't underestimate the Kubikiribōchō, brat." Zabuza smirked at her underneath his bandages as he removed one of his pinstriped forearm warmers and cut the exposed flesh with the blade of his sword. With a hiss, the metal healed, returning to normal.

"What the…?!" Tomoe was thunderstruck.

"Unlike any of the other Seven Swords of the Mist, Kubikiribōchō is the only one without a special offensive ability." Zabuza said, "Other than its unusual shape and size, the only special ability it has is the _**Tekketsu Kyūshū (Ferrous-Blood Absorption)**_. The special seals it was forged with extract iron from the blood of any and all people it cuts to reinforce the blade. If it is damaged, all I have to do is cut someone to pieces to repair it. Compared to some of the damage it's seen, this small cut is simple to fix."

"OK, a vampire sword." Tomoe nodded seriously, "Better destroy it, evil thing."

"A sword is a tool. Whether it does good or evil depends entirely what the person wielding it does." Haku said calmly, "Your attitude is foolish."

"Bleh!" Tomoe actually stuck her tongue -which was black too- at the masked girl, causing a tick mark to appear on Haku's head. That was one of her pet peeves. She _hated_ it when kids did that.

The ice-user vanished in a blur of speed that made Tomoe blinks as she withdrew her tongue.

"_**Hyōton: Makyō **__**Hakuhyō! (Ice Style: Demonic Mirroring Thin Ice!)**_" Haku announced as she appeared out of an ice mirror just -and no more- large enough for her to emerge from, a senbon held in one hand. She flew at the surprised girl and attempted to introduce an alternate ventilation system into her by stabbing her through the bottom of her jaw.

What _actually_ happened was that her senbon got blunted by the black…armour-stuff. Haku quickly kicked the girl in the stomach, also using the move to leap away from the Hiden Jutsu user before she could use that super strength of hers to punch Haku halfway back to Mizu no Kuni.

"That stung!" Tomoe complained.

"So your jutsu combines all of your _previous_ jutsu into one _single_ jutsu." Zabuza stated as Haku flipped in midair and skidded to a halt before her master, "I honestly can't imagine that a jutsu that is _that _powerful coming without some drawbacks. It's probably eating into your chakra reserves like a fat kid through a bowl of peanuts as well."

Tomoe scowled. Zabuza was right, although she hated to admit it. The reason why she hated the _**Kokuei no Haaku**_ was that for every minute she used it, she would suffer ten minutes of blinding pain. Even if she only used it for thirty seconds, she would suffer ten minutes of pain as soon as she stopped using the jutsu. In addition, it was a chakra hungry jutsu as well. She could only keep it up for five minutes, tops.

"Tomoe thinks that just because you know some of her jutsu's limits, doesn't mean you can win." she snapped, "_**Aooni**_, _**Kiiro**_ _**Senkō**_ and _**Shiro Yoroi**_ put together means Tomoe can't lose."

"Heh…arrogance like that will kill you brat." Zabuza chuckled as he made the Tiger Handsign, "_**Kirigakure no Jutsu!**_"

As the mist technique shrouded Zabuza and Haku from her sight, Tomoe actually growled in a mix of frustration and anger. Now they were in Zabuza's territory, he and his apprentice could sneak around like cats and she wouldn't know where they were!

"_**Hyōton: Hissatsu **__**Hyōsō no Jutsu! (Ice Style: Certain-Kill Ice Spears Jutsu!)**_" boomed from in front of her.

Okay, perhaps she _would_ know where they were. A damned bluff!

Out of the mist, an avalanche of ice spears larger and thicker than she was shot out at her. Tomoe dodged most of them, but there were so many that the law of averages was against her.

She _hated_ that law.

The spear in question slammed into the small of her back and propelled her out of the mist, which she was quite glad about…for a moment. Then her mind began working. Why would Zabuza only create such a small bank of mist? He was strong enough to blanket an entire battlefield in the stuff if the rumours about him were true, so why…?

"_**Chigirigakure no Kijin: Tajū Hisenken! (Demon of the Bloody Hidden Mist: Multiple Flying Revolving Swords!)**_" was roared from all around her as the twenty or so _**Mizu Bunshin**_ of Zabuza reared back as one and threw the copies of Kubikiribōchō they had right at her.

'_This is going to hurt. A lot._'

As she thought this, Tomoe was slammed into by over fifteen of the twenty swords at once. Three of the remaining five clone-swords slammed into another sword, sending the physical impact through them and straight into Tomoe.

An unfortunate part of the _**Shiro Yoroi **_that while it acted as armour, it didn't have a cushioning effect or shock absorber effect, so while Tomoe was immune to being cut while that jutsu was active, it didn't stop her internal organs or bones from being broken or damaged. Even with the increased physical resilience that _**Aooni **_gave her when using _**Kokuei no Haaku**_, she could still be hurt.

Zabuza had seen this and used the sheer weight of his sword, which was retained in the _**Mizu Bunshin **_copies, to batter her into submission. Tomoe could feel her bones breaking where they had been struck. At least a few ribs were definitely broken, as was her collarbone and her right forearm.

The clone blades dissolved when the actual clones did, allowing Tomoe to crash down on the ground, broken and beaten. She gasped in pain, but still looked up as the form of Momochi Zabuza as he loomed out of the mist, Haku at his side.

"T-Tomoe…lost…." she said weakly, "What now?"

"Ordinarily, I would kill you for trying to kill me and Haku, but you were just following the orders of your employer, so I won't hold it against you." the Demon of the Bloody Mist said, "Besides, this is Konoha's battlefield, so I guess we'll have to play by their rules. No killing downed opponents who don't want to fight anymore. Do you want to try and keep fighting?"

"N-No…" the girl replied, "Thank you for…sparing me…Tomoe's going to drop my jutsu now. Could you gag Tomoe now please? Tomoe will scream with pain otherwise."

"The cost for the jutsu I presume." Zabuza said with a sigh. When the girl nodded, he sighed again and gestured at Haku to do it. Half of the real reason he didn't want to kill her was because Haku would just look at him in that way that broadcast absolute and complete disappointment in him. The other half was more selfish; he hadn't been paid to kill her, so he wouldn't do it.

He had the bottom line to worry about after all.

**Kakashi vs. Kaen…**

Kakashi was staring down the biggest fire dragon he had ever seen in his career as a shinobi. Hell, the _**En**__**ryū**_ before him completely dwarfed the _**Gōryūka**_ _**no Jutsu **_that had previously held that particular crown until right now.

'_Right…Stay the Fuck Away Mode: Activated._' Kakashi thought vaguely as he wondered how the hell to deal with this problem. Fighting against previously unknown dōjutsu was a considerable pain in the ass and Kaen seemed far too comfortable using it for a first generation dōjutsu user.

Logically, a dōjutsu of this kind of power would have been touted by the clan who held it, as well as their allies. It would have made even the Uchiha and Hyūga wary of them as the latter had no Ninjutsu techniques based on their dōjutsu other than the _**Jūken**_ and the only fire-creation jutsu that the Uchiha had access to was the _**Amaterasu**_, which was only available to those who awakened the _**Mangekyō Sharingan (Kaleidoscope Copy Wheel Eye)**_.

The irritating thing about this particular dōjutsu that the Uchiha would have loathed was the fact that the techniques couldn't be copied. He had his _**Sharingan **_exposed and had tried to do copy every single one himself, but it was useless. He had never come across a Ninjutsu-type dōjutsu before, but he had heard from Uchiha Obito's father while the man had taught him the basics of how to use his son's last gift that it was useless to try and copy a dōjutsu Ninjutsu.

'_Meh. Nothing ventured, nothing gained._' Kakashi shrugged to himself.

"Ready to die, Kakashi?!" Kaen yelled gleefully.

"I wonder about that…" Kakashi drawled back.

"That's right, keep your confidence up, right until the last dregs of life leave your burned and broken body!" the dōjutsu user said with a manic smile, "_**Kaenryū: Buyō! (Flame Dragon: Dance Performance!)**_"

'_He changed the name…_' Kakashi thought with a sweat drop before he got serious again. The immense dragon roared as it surged forwards, straight at the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi quickly formed the Snake Handsign. "_**Doton: **__**Otoshibuta no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Dropping Lid Jutsu!)**_"

A large earthen lid that greatly resembled a boar appeared in midair and fell on top of the dragon, trapping it beneath it. Kakashi could tell that it wouldn't hold though. There were already places where the fire dragon was breaking through the earth jutsu.

"That is one impressive Katon Jutsu. _**Doton: **__**Nentsuchi Otoshi no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Sticky Earth Drop Jutsu!)**_" Kakashi hastily ran through three handsigns for the jutsu.

An opening appeared in the sky, unleashing a large quantity of clay-like mud atop the _**Otoshibuta**_ lid, completely covering it. Kakashi then made three more handsigns.

"_**Katon: **__**Kagaribi no Buyō no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Dance of the Bonfire Jutsu!)**_" he proclaimed.

The entire lid then burst into flames that blazed away cheerfully. Underneath it, the clay from the _**Nentsuchi Otoshi **_hardened to the strength of granite. It really was amazing how useful a festival technique could be. There was no _way_ the flame dragon was getting out of _that_ anytime soon. It ought to extinguish itself any time now…

{BANG!}

…unless, of course, it burned through the bridge surface beneath it and escape that way. Lovely.

"Having trouble, Kakashi?" Zabuza asked as he stepped beside the Copy Ninja, sword sheathed on his back and his arms loosely crossed across his chest.

"Maa, he is certainly a troublesome one." Kakashi lazily replied, "You?"

"She was…stubborn." Zabuza replied with irritation in his voice, "Haku is looking after her. A jutsu she used has a pretty severe backlash for using it and she's currently suffering the consequences for it."

Kakashi winced. Powerful jutsu seldom come free of risks or consequences for using them.

"Sounds like you got things all wrapped up on your end, Browless." Anko said as she stepped forwards, Kurenai just a step behind her.

"You two too?" Kakashi asked in mild irritation. Now she would constantly tease him about having trouble with his opponent.

"Yep. Had to summon Hakuten-sama, but killed the bitch." Anko replied with a grin.

Six thuds behind the adult ninja signalled the arrival of the Genin to the party.

"Yo, Naru-chan." Anko greeted her lover with a grin, "I take it that loud explosion was you sending your target to hell?"

"Yep. One-way ticket to Yomi, courtesy of me, Kiba and Sasuke-teme." Naruko replied.

"You almost killed me, Dobe!" Sasuke growled.

"Feh. You're still breathing, aren't you?" Naruko waved the boy's protests away, making Kurenai sweat drop. She had _definitely_ been spending too much time around Anko.

Kaen, rather than being angry at the defeat of his comrades, actually looked ecstatic at the change in his fortunes.

"Kehehehehehe…should have known those useless fools would foul up." he crowed, "Now all your bounties are all mine! Arise, _**Kaenryū**_!"

The enormous dragon of fire rose up from beneath the bridge and roared loudly.

"That…is one big-ass Katon Jutsu." Anko deadpanned, "Any plan, Scarecrow?"

"Drown it." Kakashi said flatly, "Zabuza, Naruko, fire off as many Suiton Jutsu as you can at that thing."

"Right." Zabuza said grimly. He wasn't taking orders, just going along with a sensible plan, so his pride was intact.

"Yosha! _**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!" Naruko created over a hundred clones who grinned evilly at the dragon.

"What the-? How did she create so many clones?" Kaen exclaimed in shock.

"NOW!" Naruko yelled as she and her clones ran through the exact same handsigns.

"_**Suiton: **__**Hōmatsu Rappa no Jutsu!**_" a hundred and one voices chanted before an enormous surge of watery bubbles was launched at the Kaenryū, pushing it back and making it shrink slightly.

Zabuza and Kakashi meanwhile were running through a series of handsigns. The Nuke-nin finished first.

"_**Suiton: **__**Daibakufu no Jutsu! (Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu!)**_" Zabuza commanded as a large water ring formed in front of him, before he sent it flying at the dragon as a large wave that engulfed the fiery creation with a loud {HISSS} of evaporating water and a large amount of steam. The construct shrunk dramatically and began to writhe in apparent agony.

"Let's try this again, shall we?" Kakashi said softly as he finished his own series of handsigns, "_**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!**_"

Once again, Kakashi created a large dragon of water from the mist that surrounded them. It roared at the fire dragon, which roared back in defiance. With a surging motion, the _**Suiryūdan**_ clashed with the _**Kaenryū**_, resulting in an enormous cloud of steam that obscured everything.

When the steam cleared, the fire dragon had vanished and Kaen did not look happy.

"Tch. Don't think that you're all that just because you beat my _**Kaenryū**_." he spat. An evil purple aura began to emanate from him as the tattoo on his chest spread black line-like patterns across his body.

"Shit! That's one of Orochimaru's fucking _**Juinjutsu**_!" Anko exclaimed as her own _**Juinjutsu**_ throbbed in resonance to the active cursed seal being used nearby.

"Ahahahahahahaha!" Kaen laughed manically, "Yes, this power…so sweet…I'm going to kill you all!"

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**Next Chapter: And Thus to Tyrants**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is of my own creation.**

_Any Jutsu with its name in Italics is a game Jutsu that I have ranked myself._

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Shikomishindan no Jutsu - Prepared Needle Barrage Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Offensive, Shurikenjutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A jutsu that has two forms. In the first, the user uses a wrist-mounted device to launch senbon needles at the opponent. Used to surprise an opponent, it is easily concealed beneath long sleeves. The second form is less accurate, but harder to detect. The user can fire senbon from their mouth, although not nearly as many as the first form._

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Suiton: Kirigakure no Jutsu - Water Style: Hidden in the Mist Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Supplementary, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A jutsu that either creates water from a pre-existing source or is expelled from the mouth. Named after the Hidden Village bearing the same name, it is a specialty of ninja from that village. Fully under the control of the user, with practice, it can be used as a counter to the infamous Sharingan._

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Kage Kunai no Jutsu - Shadow Kunai Jutsu

Rank: D

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Shurikenjutsu_

Effect: _A slight variation on the basic Kage Shuriken no Jutsu, using Kunai rather than shuriken._

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**Genjutsu: ****Rakuen - Illusion: Paradise**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Supplementary, Genjutsu_

Effect: _A borderline B-Rank genjutsu that uses the target's own imagination to create the illusion of a world perfectly matching their ideal of paradise. Unless the target has a strong will, it will be very difficult to break this genjutsu. Breaking it from without is also difficult as the victim will actively fight to maintain their world unless they are, as previously mentioned, strong willed._

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Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishō - Hidden Jutsu: A Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Hiden, Offensive, Yuki Clan_

Effect: _By gathering water from the air and environment, the user creates one-thousand needles of water all around the target. The trick to evading this jutsu is to leap up, as no needles are created immediately above the target. An especially skilled user of this jutsu can invoke it with one handed handsigns while locking their opponent in place before leaping back to avoid their own jutsu._

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**Sen'ei Daijashu - Large Striking Shadow Snake**

Rank: B

Type: _Offensive, Time-Space Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A variation of the Sen'eijashu. Instead of summoning multiple snakes, the user summons a single, large snake from their sleeve in order to assail the enemy. Surprisingly swift, this jutsu can be deadly to the unwary._

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Hyōton Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō - Ice Style Secret Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals

Rank: **Low-S**

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu, Hiden, Kekkei Genkai, Yuki Clan_

Effect: _One of the most powerful techniques created by the Yuki Clan of Mizu no Kuni, this Jutsu was once known as both the most abominable and the most mysterious jutsu in the world. The user creates mirrors of solid ice around their opponent, a total of twenty-one. Twelve at ground level, eight above the first twelve and angled inwards and a single mirror floating in the middle horizontally. The user can enter the mirror because of their Kekkei Genkai, which is reflected in all the other mirrors. The user can move between the mirrors so fast that only someone with a Sharingan can keep up with them. As with all Hyōton techniques, the mirrors are resistant to Katon Jutsu, but can and will melt under extreme bombardment._

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Muon Satsujin - Silent Killing

Rank: N/A

Type: _Fighting Style, General Skill_

Effect: _Very simply a fighting style that involves moving with absolute silence in order to assassinate enemies. Combined with the Kirigakure no Jutsu, this makes Kirigakure Shinobi much feared during both the night and day._

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**Raiton: Kaminari Shibari Hairetsu no Jutsu - Lightning Style: Lightning Bind Array Jutsu**

Rank: Mid-A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkai Ninjutsu, Defensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _An advanced version of the basic Kaminari Shibari, this jutsu uses pre-existing rods or pillars charged with lightening to create barriers to trap enemies. Depending on how the rods are set up, this can also separate shinobi. Anyone who touches the barriers receives an electric shock, as do anyone who tries to jump out of the open top of the barrier._

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**Genjutsu: ****Henkō Jikan - Illusion: Altered Time**

Rank: C

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _This genjutsu alters the target's subjective experience of the passage of time slightly. An experienced user can slow it by up to thirty seconds at a time. Useful for Taijutsu users._

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Iaigiri - Draw and Cut

Rank: Varies

Type: _Kenjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The way of Iai is to draw one's sword, cut the opponent, clean the blood from your blade and then re-sheath your blade in a single motion. This is the basic execution of that principle. The rank of this jutsu varies greatly depending on who the user is and whether they have been trained as either a shinobi or a samurai._

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**Sakaba****tōgiri - Reverse-Blade Sword Cut**

Rank: E

Type: _Offensive, Kenjutsu_

Effect: _A fancy name for a simple move. The user, while using a one-edged sword, turns the blade around so that it faces them and strikes the opponent with the blunt edge._

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Katon: Karyū Endan no Jutsu - Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bombs Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user kneads their chakra into flames, which are manipulated into dragons upon being released. As the manipulation of flames tot the will of the user is very difficult, only those who truly strive to master the Fire Element have ever even attempted to use this jutsu._

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**Kumo-Zashi - Spider Stab**

Rank: Low-C

Type: _Taijutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Offensive, Onigumo Clan_

Effect: _The user stabs an enemy with one of their spider legs with very deadly results._

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Ninpō: Kujaku Myōhō no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Mysterious Peacock Method Jutsu

Rank: High-A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kinjutsu, Offensive, Fighting Style, Supplementary_

Effect: _The signature technique of Hoshigakure no Sato, one obtains this technique by undergoing Star Training. This involves exposing the recipients' body to the radiation from the Star of Hoshigakure. The jutsu is flexible and powerful, allowing the user to control an odd sort of chakra. The Star Training is a double-edged sword however; all who attempt it run the risk of severe physical trauma or even death. Forbidden by the Sandaime Hoshikage._

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_Nadare Mai - Avalanche Dance_

Rank: Low-C

Type: _Taijutsu, Shurikenjutsu_

Effect: _The user engages in a beat down of the opponent before kicking them into the air. The user then leaps above the opponent and throws a handful of senbon into the opponent, knocking them to the ground._

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**Iro Ninpō: ****Aooni no Jutsu - Colour Ninja Art: Blue Ogre Jutsu**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _By turning their clothes blue, the user gains improved physical strength and endurance, as well as light armour._

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**Iro Ninpō: Shiro Yoroi - Colour Ninja Art: White Armour**

Rank: B

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _One of the two most powerful Iro Ninpō, this jutsu only requires one part of the user to be white for the technique to work. The user is granted invisible chakra armour that is very difficult to penetrate with conventional weapons and low-powered jutsu._

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_Bakusai_ _Hyōshō - Blasting Ice-Crystal_

Rank: Low-B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Shurikenjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user first freezes the opponent's feet to the floor, then freezes their entire body. Once the enemy is frozen entirely, the user then lobs senbon at the target, causing the ice to first crack and then explode, further damaging the enemy._

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**Iro Ninpō: ****Sekinetsu no Jutsu - Colour Ninja Art: Red-Hot Jutsu**

Rank: D

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _By turning the user's clothes red, the user is warmed up. A basic Iro Ninpō technique._

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**Me Hakka: ****Nenshō Keshin - Eye Ignite: Combustion Incarnate**

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Offensive, Dōjutsu_

Effect: _The basic technique of the Higan. By using the Higan's abilities to accelerate molecules to the point of ignition, the user can set anything within his line of sight on fire at will, even air itself. Very slow however, so it can be dodged._

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**Me Hakka: ****Kaen Kasoku - Eye Ignite: Flame Accelerate**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Offensive, Dōjutsu_

Effect: _An upgraded and altered version of Nenshō Keshin, the user simply focuses on quickly accelerating a lot of smaller groups of molecules at once rather than a single large group._

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Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu - Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user creates a dragon from water to attack the enemy. Although the best place to use this jutsu is near a body of water, a skilled user can use this jutsu without one. The size of the dragon is proportionate to the user's skill level._

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**Me Hakka: Enten ****Shōheki - Eye Ignite: Flame Heaven Barrier**

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Dōjutsu, Offensive, Defensive_

Effect: _The user creates a large fireball via __pyrokinesis and hurls it at either the enemy or an incoming attack. On impact or at command, it explodes, causing significant damage and a substantial amount of flames._

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**Me Hakka: En****ryū no Mai - Eye Ignite: Dance of the Flame Dragon**

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Kekkei Genkai, Dōjutsu_

Effect: _The user manipulates already existing flames into a dragon-shape. The size of dragon depends entirely on the amount of flames present. Inspired by Hoshikuzu Kaguya's Kujaku __Myōhō no Jutsu, this jutsu is unique to Hachidoro Kaen._

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**Kumonosu: Nori-mō - Spider Web: Glue Net**

Rank: High-D

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _The user shoots out a blob of chakra-created glue that is then manipulated into a cobweb-like web. It does little to no actual damage, intended to capture and immobilise opponents._

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**Kaiten Kumo: Shikyaku no Mai - Revolving Spider: Dance of Four Legs**

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, Chakra Flow, Offensive, Defensive, Kekkei Genkai_

Effect: _By using Wind Chakra to rotate themselves at a rapid speed, the user can use his spider legs as blunt instruments to smash through anyone and anything in their way._

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Kuchiyose no Jutsu: **Jaō Hakuten **_**\- **_Summoning Jutsu: **Snake King Hakuten**

Rank: A

Type: _Time-Space Ninjutsu, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _This Jutsu summons forth Snake King Hakuten from his cave in __Ryūchidō_.

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_**Dokueki-Dan - Venom Bullet**_

Rank: High-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Snake Clan_

Effect: _The user spit's a bullet of venom at the opponent. If performed by a high-rank Spitting Cobra like Hakuten, it is far more powerful than used by other snakes. The venom is moderately acidic and highly poisonous._

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**Iro Ninpō: ****Kiiro Senkō - Colour Ninja Art: Yellow Flash**

Rank: B

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _By turning their clothes yellow, the user is able to move at double their top speed without effort. Minimal armour is also provided._

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**Hiden Iro Ninpō: ****Kokuei no Haaku - Hidden Colour Ninja Art: Grasp of the Black Shadow**

Rank: Mid-A

Type: _Kinjutsu, Hiden, Supplementary, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _A forbidden and dangerous technique, this jutsu combines any three Iro Ninpō that the user has used in the preceding day. Turning not only clothes and hair black, this also turns the skin of the user black, as well as the sclera of the eye. The individual attributes of the combined jutsu are moderately enhanced while this jutsu is active. The downside for this jutsu is that, for every minute it is active, the user suffers ten minutes of blinding, all-encompassing pain as soon as the jutsu ends, leaving them helpless._

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_Hyōton: Makyō __Hakuhyō - Ice Style: Demonic Mirroring Thin Ice_

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Hiden, Offensive_

Effect: _After vanishing in a burst of speed, the user uses a Hyōshō Kagami Shunshin to appear in the enemy's blind spot, striking them with a senbon._

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Hyōton: Hissatsu Hyōsō no Jutsu - Ice Style: Certain-Kill Ice Spears Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Offensive, Defensive_

Effect: _The user creates and launches a hail of large ice spears at the opponent. With the sheer amount sent at the opponent, at least one is bound to hit the target._

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**Chigirigakure no Kijin: Tajū Hisenken - Demon of the Bloody Hidden Mist: Multiple Flying Revolving Swords**

Rank: Mid-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Clone Jutsu, Kenjutsu, Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _The Kubikiribōchō is necessary to use this jutsu. The user creates a group of Mizu Bunshin who each then use the Hisenken no Jutsu, throwing their blades at the opponent, all aiming to hit at the same time, usually creating a bloody mist._

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**Kaenryū: Buyō - Flame Dragon: Dance Performance**

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Kekkei Genkai, Dōjutsu_

Effect: _After creating a flame dragon with Me Hakka: En__ryū no Mai, the user can command it to attack with this technique. Anything it touches is burnt to ashes within moments._

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Doton: Otoshibuta no Jutsu - Earth Style: Dropping Lid Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user creates a giant lid that slams on top of the enemy, trapping them. The lid greatly resembles a boar, thus the name._

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Doton: Nentsuchi Otoshi no Jutsu - Earth Style: Sticky Earth Drop Jutsu

Rank: High-B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Time-Space Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _Opening a hole is the sky, the user drops clay mud atop the opponent._

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**Katon: ****Kagaribi no Buyō no Jutsu - Fire Style: Dance of the Bonfire Jutsu**

Rank: Mid-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A jutsu created to dramatically light the fires during festivals in Konohagakure, it is also a moderately hard jutsu to control and is thus a good test of a Fire Element user's mastery._

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Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu - Water Style: Great Waterfall Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _One of the more powerful Suiton Ninjutsu, this jutsu require a considerable amount of chakra to perform. Created either from a nearby body of water or from the mouth, the user sends a massive wave of water at the opponent. The aftermath of this jutsu looks like that of a natural disaster._

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	23. And Thus to Tyrants

**Author's Note: Here is Chapter 23. Can I just say that I unexplained computer problems? For some reason, my custom dictionary in Microsoft Word completely vanished, so I have to re-enter all of the damn terms. That's why this chapter took so long. Urgh, Code Geass is going to be troublesome as well.**

**One reviewer mentioned that my fight sequences are excessively long. Are they? My personal opinion is that they are fairly short, but there are a lot of them. Should I tone them down? Review and let me know.**

**Please check out my other stories as well. I'm quite proud of them.**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 23: And Thus to Tyrants**

The gathered Konoha shinobi and Momochi Zabuza stood and glared at Hachidoro Kaen, the last member of the _**Ashura no Shimen**_ that still stood. The foul chakra of Orochimaru's _**Juinjutsu**_ rolled off him in wave of pulsating purple that made all those who stood nearby feel violated just by being near it.

"You crazy fuck!" Anko snarled as she fought down her _**Ten no Juin**_ with the power of her indomitable will, "You're _actually using _that fucker's Curse mark? Are you insane?!"

"Hmm…?" Kaen looked at her with interest, "Ah, now I remember. Orochimaru-sama told me the carrier of his prototype _**Juinjutsu**_ was a loudmouthed female Jonin who was lucky to survive the process through sheer willpower."

The deranged smile on his face was sending up warning flags to Kakashi and Zabuza. He was going to attack soon.

"Genin, fall back." the silver-haired Jonin ordered, "This opponent is far beyond your level!"

"Roger that." Naruko was a bit green at the chakra that the insane bounty hunter Nin was emanating. It felt…perverted, wrong, like the chakra of the Akuryō no Moriki, except more…human.

"Team 8, fall back." she ordered, "Sakura-chan, do the same. This guy's _not_ someone we want to throw down with."

"R-right." the pinkette shuddered as she felt that chakra and decided that following orders was the best thing to do her, "Sasuke-kun, Kiba, Akamaru, fall back now!"

"…No." Sasuke said flatly.

"We do not have time for one of your emo pity-parties right now, teme." Naruko growled as she grabbed him and _**Shunshin'd**_ away with him in a puff of smoke as the rest of Teams 7 and 8 retreated further up the bridge.

"Why did you order them to retreat?" Kaen asked with a leer, "They're just going to die after I've killed all of you!"

"You really think you can defeat one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, 'Copy Ninja' Kakashi, and the Snake Mistress of Konoha and the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha at once?" Zabuza asked with a scoff, "With your team, maybe, but all three of 'em are either dead or incapacitated."

"I never _needed _those weaklings to defeat you." Kaen sneered, "All they were was cannon fodder to deal with weaker enemies so I didn't have to waste my time doing it myself and it seems those fools weren't even up to a pack of brats and bitches. Pathetic."

"Enough talk." Kakashi said darkly, "Your disrespect for your comrades' lives is intolerable and now I'm going to end you."

He ran through three handsigns and then grasped his right hand. In the centre of his palm, a ball of white Raiton chakra was born. It emitted a constant flickering series of lightning tendrils until he was surrounded by an aura of lightning.

"_**Raiton: Raikiri! (Lightning Style: Lightning Blade!)**_" Kakashi hissed.

'_The chakra is actually visible in his hand!_' Zabuza thought in astonishment, '_Could this be what he was planning to use to finish me off? Glad the Uzumaki brat jumped in. If that had hit me, I would be dead._'

"Eh…interesting. A Jutsu that uses Shape Manipulation _and_ Nature Manipulation in unison." Kaen observed, "Bring it. _**Me Hakka: Kaken! (Eye Ignite: Fire Sword!)**_"

A massive conflagration of purple fire appeared in front of Kaen, shrinking into the size and shape of a basic katana, which Kaen grasped as easily as he would a regular blade.

"Do you really think that a sword of fire can counter a technique that can cleave a _lightning bolt _in two?" Kakashi growled, clearly believing that he was being underestimated, mocked or both.

"Tch. I don't give a rats' ass." the bounty hunter sneered, "Bring. It. On!"

With that, the bounty hunter drew back his sword and charged at Kakashi with an impressive burst of speed. The Copy Ninja lunged forward himself, the pure white _**Raikiri**_ coating his arm like armour as he drew the arm back in preparation to strike.

Kaen leapt into the air to avoid the lightning technique and slashed at Kakashi with his sword, taking the man's head off. The next second, the man in the air was creaming as the body of the copy ninja exploded into a bolt of lightning that briefly formed into the shape of a dog and lashed out, striking Kaen with speed so quick he couldn't even try to dodge it.

Slamming onto the ground, the bounty hunter nevertheless proved exactly why he had survived the implantation of the _**Juinjutsu**_ by immediately rolling to his feet.

"What the fuck?" he gasped, "A _**Raiton Kage Bunshin (Lightning Style Shadow Clone)**_?!"

"Maa…I honestly expected that to end it." Kakashi drawled as he stepped out of the mist, "It seems you're tougher than I gave you credit for."

"You…you switched with the clone when my vision was obscured by the steam when the _**Suiryūdan**_ and _**Kaenryū**_ clashed." Kaen snarled, "But how the fuck did you make it hit me with lightning like that?!"

"A little known fact about Elemental Shadow Clones is that you can booby trap them with a specific selection of jutsu." Kakashi replied easily, "In this case, I used _**Raiton: Raijū Tsuiga no Jutsu (Lightning Style: Lightning Beast Tracking Fang Jutsu)**_."

"There's no way a Kage Bunshin could hold a jutsu and use that weird-ass arm of lighting jutsu of your." Kaen scoffed.

"Hmmm? Oh, you mean _**Raikiri**_?" the Copy Ninja asked unconcerned, "That was a genjutsu. You didn't even check for one, which is surprising because of my _**Sharingan**_ being exposed. Sloppy. Very sloppy."

"I'm gonna rip your eye out and piss in the socket!" Kaen hissed angrily.

"I beg to differ." Kakashi drawled, "Anko, fall back. That Curse Mark of yours is reacting too strongly near this one."

Indeed, Anko was on her knees with one hand clutching her _**Ten no Juin **_and panting with the effort of restraining the Curse Mark she bore.

"Shit…right." the Snake Mistress hissed, "Just kill the bastard."

She fell back, leaving Kurenai, Kakashi and Zabuza to face Kaen, who had fully recovered from the lightning attack so quickly Kakashi was having a hard time believing it.

"Now then, where were we?" the Copy Ninja drawled.

_With Anko_

"Anko-sensei!" was her greeting as she dropped in amongst the six Genin, who were clustered near Zabuza's apprentice and one of the members of the bounty hunter group, who looked as if she was thrashing in pain.

"Hey Naru-chan." she smiled tiredly as she sat on the surface of the bridge, "Ahhh…the damn _**Juinjutsu**_ has finally settled down. Looks like the damn thing reacts when it senses another active Curse mark made by that bastard. "

"The Hebi-teme's _**Juin**_?" Naruko asked in concern, "Let me have a look at it."

Shrugging, Anko exposed her _**Ten no Juin **_to let the little Fūinjutsu expert that was her lover examine it. Naruko hissed as she saw it. The triple-tomoe pattern had enlarged to press against the restraining Fūinshiki (Sealing Formula) of the _**Fūja Hōin (Evil-Sealing Method)**_.

"Shit. The damn evil thing is trying to break the counterseal." Naruko said as she examined it, "Damn that snake bastard. Are you in pain?"

"Not now but every time I tried to throw a kunai or wrap the bastard in snakes, the damn thing sent a pulse of pain through me." Anko said with a scowl.

"Hmm…jeez, this thing is put together in such a slipshod fashion." Naruko muttered, "No wonder only one in ten people survive having this thing put on them."

"Dobe, what the hell are you talking about?" Sasuke asked. He was still pissed at Naruko for dragging him away from the fight.

"_This_-" Naruko gestured at the _**Juin**_ on her lover's neck, "-is called the _**Ten no Juin**_. It is a Cursed Seal that makes the Hyūga Clan's Caged Bird Seal look like a weak Kibaku-Fuda. The Snake Sannin Orochimaru created them and this is the very first one ever used on a human where the branded human survived."

"That is some screwed up shit." Kiba shook his head.

"Yeah." Naruko agreed, "This thing is made of several different seals; a slave seal, a _mind _slave seal, a pain seal and a dozen or so others that I don't recognise. Looks like the pain seal is set to activate is Anko-sensei tries to attack anyone with any kind of Cursed Seal made by Orochimaru unless he gives her permission to attack him or her. It's safe to assume he can activate it at will as well."

"Shit." Anko cursed, and then winced as the Seal pulsed again.

"Calm down and force your anger away." Naruko said firmly.

"What's up?"

"Whenever I get angry or feel a great deal of hatred, the damn thing pulses to try and make me use it." Anko replied, "Like I'd let the bastard use me like that."

"That power is _incredible_ though." Sasuke said hungrily.

"The reason Anko-sensei doesn't use the seal is because it would make her the Hebi-teme's _slave_, teme." Naruko bit out angrily, "The slave and mind slave seals can't activate until she uses the seal of her own free will. No power is worth being the snake bastard's slave for life."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, evidently not agreeing with her, but choosing to keep it to himself.

"I'm going to try and reinforce the _**Fūja**_ _**Hōin**_." Naruko informed Anko, "If I don't, there's no telling what the damned thing will do to you."

"Can you do that safely?" the Snake Mistress asked.

"Yeah, but it'll only last a day or so." Naruko replied as she placed her hands around the seal formula of the _**Fūja**_ _**Hōin**_, "Hopefully the bastard will die before this deteriorates. Let's go! _**Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: **__**Inkan Kyōka no Jutsu! (Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Seal Strengthening Jutsu!)**_"

A light blue glow from beneath her hands made the rest of the Genin pay attention. When Naruko removed her hands, the _**Fūja**_ _**Hōin's**_ fūinshiki was surrounded by a spiral that extended over an inch away from the first two seals.

"There. That ought to make the damn thing more manageable." Naruko wiped her brow, "It won't dampen the pain seal, but it at least won't try and break out of the _**Fūja**_ _**Hōin**_ if you go near him for a while."

"Thanks, brat." Anko nodded as she covered up the Curse Mark, "How'd you know about the _**Fūja**_ _**Hōin**_ anyway?"

"Kaa-san helped Jiraya of the Sannin develop it." Naruko replied, "It was really only supposed to be a stopgap measure for dangerous _**Juinjutsu **_while Kaa-san was working on something to remove them. Then the Third War happened."

"Would have thought the Uzumaki had something for that anyway." Anko remarked.

"Not really. It is against the Clan Laws of the Uzumaki to use a _**Juinjutsu **_on someone of the Village, Clan or allies." Naruko shrugged, "And other than us, there were very few Clans who knew more than basic sealing scrolls and Kibaku-Fuda. Kami only knows how the Hyūga made the Caged Bird Seal. Most Hyūga are crap at Fūinjutsu, despite the fact that the _**Byakugan**_ should make them damned good at it."

An explosion from the site of the battle made everyone flinch when they remembered that they were on a battlefield.

"Haku-nee-chan, who's the kid and why is she in pain?" Naruko asked after she ordered her thoughts.

"She's one of the _**Ashura no Shimen**_, Shikiki Tomoe." the Last of the Yuki Clan replied as she adjusted the gag in the rainbow-coloured girl's mouth, "She used a Kinjutsu that puts her through ten minutes of blinding pain for every one minute she has it active. She still has another thirty minutes or so to endure before the pain flags."

"Shit, that has to smart." Naruko winced, "Are you still battle ready?"

"Hai, but I'd prefer not to leave my patient while she is totally helpless." Haku replied.

"We aren't going to the fight." Naruko said firmly as she threw a pointed look at Sasuke, "We're going to make plans for if the bastard comes for us."

"Shit. He is likely to do that once the others start to corner him." Anko muttered, "And here I am useless against him."

"We just have to be sneaky about it." Naruko shrugged, "Tazuna-jiji isn't likely to thank me for the damage to the bridge, but there you are. Rather the bridge was damaged than dying."

"Same." Ino and Hinata chimed in. The rest nodded in agreement.

"What's your plan, Gaki?" Anko asked with a grin.

"Well…" Naruko began outlining what she had in mind.

_Kaen vs. Kakashi, Kurenai and Zabuza_

"_**Suiton: Suihachi no Jutsu! (Water Style: Water Bowl Jutsu!)**_" Kakashi sent a large wave of water from his hand that forced Kaen to leap back to avoid it, meaning he had to abort his attack against Kurenai.

"_**Me Hakka: Kaen Kasoku!**_" the bounty Nin snarled as he glared at Kakashi.

"_**Suiton: Suijinheki no Jutsu! (Water Style: Water Formation Wall Jutsu!)**_" Kakashi countered as he unleashed a large wave of water from his mouth that forced Kaen to cancel his jutsu as his target was blocked from his sight.

"Oh _come on_!" Kaen complained, "Don't _either_ of you have a pair of balls on you to fight me properly?"

"We're ninja, not samurai." Kurenai taunted, "_**Doton: Dochūbaku no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Landslide Jutsu!)**_"

A large quantity of the surface of the bridge was ripped up by Kurenai's jutsu and sent towards Kaen in a massive wave of concrete, tarmac and assorted detritus.

'_This is getting us nowhere fast._' the Genjutsu Mistress thought grimly as the bounty hunter yet again dodged a jutsu sent his way, '_Suiton is useful but only Zabuza had enough variety in his jutsu to corner him. He can negate and absorb our Katon Jutsu, Raiton is shrugged off like it isn't there, Doton is very limited on this bridge and too slow anyway and none of us has very much in the way of __Fūton jutsu. Genjutsu works but he seems to be learning to fluctuate his chakra randomly every so often to prevent us locking him in one and using Taijutsu or Kenjutsu just lets him use those damned __**Higan**__ on us._'

She remembered when Kakashi had used _**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu **_against Kaen. The mad bearer of the _**Higan**_ merely smiled and invoked his _**Me Hakka: **__**Kaen Dōka (Eye Ignite: Flame Assimilation)**_, which had broken up the prized jutsu of the Uchiha Clan and allowed the man to send the flames at Zabuza in the form of his _**Enryūnomai: Yon (Flame Dragon Dance: Four)**_.

Zabuza had been sent flying off the bridge by four fire dragons and _still_ hadn't returned, leaving her and Kakashi to duke it out with Kaen for the last ten minutes or so.

"Man, this is getting boring!" Kaen complained, "Attack already so I can kill you!"

"Maa, maa. You really are impatient." Kakashi said lazily, "Not a good ninja either if a little thing like not being able to kill someone quickly is making you full of angst. You need more composure."

"Fuck composure and fuck _you_, ya old man!" Kaen snarled, "You think this is my full power? Hah! This power is merely the Daiichidankai (First Stage) of my _**Shura no Juin (Cursed Seal of Carnage)**_. I have a _far_ more powerful form hidden up my sleeve in the form of my Dainidankai (Second Stage) form. Not that you weaklings are deserving of such strength."

"'Shura' is it?" Kurenai remarked, "It seems Orochimaru is fond of naming things after the Six Paths. The _**Ten no Juin**_, the _**Shura no Juin**_…he's unexpectedly classical in his naming of his creations."

Before Kaen could reply, a massive sword blade emerged from the mist behind Kaen and, in a single clean cut, severed the man's left arm at the shoulder with an explosion of blood.

"**Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh**! Fuck! My _arm_! My fucking ARM!" Kaen howled in pain as he clutched the stump of his shoulder. Behind him, the hazy image of Momochi Zabuza shimmered into sight as he hefted his massive blade onto his shoulder and looked on in satisfaction at his work.

"Am I late?" he asked blandly.

"Fashionably late, Zabuza." Kakashi said with a sigh, "I take it you weren't seriously hurt?"

"Pah! I've had worse heartburn." the Nuke-nin sneered, "Thanks for keeping this dumbass talking while I used my _**Muon Satsujin no Jutsu**_ on him."

"Maa, let's just say it's your round at the bar after all this is over." Kakashi drawled.

"Fair enough." Zabuza chuckled.

"You…you _insects_…!" Kaen hissed as he staggered around to glare at Kakashi and Kurenai, the purple aura reappearing at an even greater level than before as insanity danced in Hachidoro Kaen's eyes, "I am going to fucking _murder_ you…no, no…utterly _slaughter_ you bitches for this! You will regret ever fucking with me!"

"Temper, temper." Zabuza scolded him as he used a _**Kiri Shunshin (Mist Body Flicker)**_ to appear next to the two Konoha Jonin, "Eesh, you make _me_ look even tempered."

"A _temper_…? You haven't even _seen_ me angry yet!" Kaen snarled, "Allow me to remedy that. Now you will witness…the _true_ face of Rage Incarnate!"

As he spoke, the Curse mark over his heart flared with power and his skin began to darken.

"Oh…hell." Kakashi muttered.

_With Anko, Haku and the Genin_

A loud roar of primal rage erupted from where the battle was taking place, making the Genin look at one another nervously.

"Fuck. Sounds like the bastard has turned up the heat." Anko remarked, "Are all the tags set?"

A chorus of affirmatives came from the Genin. The plan was simple. Naruko had handed out a large amount of Kibaku Fuda to her year mates and they then proceeded to mine the hell out of the area of the bridge between them and the battle.

"Hinata-chan, do your thing." Naruko encouraged her girlfriend.

Hinata ran through a series of handsigns before saying, "_**Magen: **__**Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu! (Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Jutsu!)**_"

With a shimmer, the field of explosive tags became the plain surface of the road once again, setting the trap.

"Right. Let's fall back away from the blast radius of the damn things." Anko said with a nod, "Naru-chan, we are going to have to talk about why you have enough explosive tags to level a mansion on you."

"You're just jealous I didn't share the goodies with you." Naruko shot back as she waltzed away from the tags.

"Damn straight!" the Snake Mistress agreed, "Think of the fun we could have with those things!"

"_Exactly_ why I kept the fact I made surplus tags to myself." Naruko retorted, "I make seventy a month for the Konohagakure Shinobi Forces; any surplus tags are mine to do with as I please."

"Spoilsport." Anko pouted.

A meaty [Thwack!] sound came from the battlefield on the end of the bridge and the group of shinobi jumped as one Momochi Zabuza landed on the concrete surface of the bridge and skidded for a moment before halting with a groan.

"Zabuza-sama!" Haku yelled in worry.

"…Gah!….damned Curse Seal!" Zabuza grunted as he shoved himself upright.

[Thwack!], [Thwack!]

With a pair of meaty thuds, Kurenai and Kakashi landed nearby, both of them looking disorientated. The Genjutsu Mistress coughed up some blood as she raised herself shakily on her hands and knees. Kakashi had lost his hitai-ate somewhere, making him look decidedly odd.

"Nai-chan!" Anko went over to her friend and helped her up, "What the hell happened?"

"**That would be me, bitch.**" the voice of Kaen said as he stepped out of the mist. When the Shinobi set eyes on him, they gasped in horror at the sight of his Second Stage Transformation.

His skin had turned the colour of burnt sienna and he had grown a large amount of wild hair the precise shade of ash. His _**Higan**_ had changed as well, turning from the colour of dried blood to a shade of red so deep it was almost black with a single dot for an iris. The biggest change was that he now resembled an Asura right out of mythology. Six large muscular arms replaced his two original ones; two in the original positions, two above them and two underneath the first set.

His head had also sprouted two additional faces that spoke at the same time as the original one. Other than that, the most noticeable change was that he had become far more muscular than before.

"What the hell." Anko said, "What the hell has that bastard ex-sensei of mine done?"

"**Orochimaru-sama discovered a way to increase the level of power the Juinjutsu could put out.**" Kaen sneered at her, "**By taking a specially developed medicine, the ****Seishingan (Mind Awakening Pill), the Curse Seal kills the user, then revives them after the transformation of the body is complete. It's why I'm so much fucking stronger than you pissants are; I **_**died**_** for this power! I **_**deserve**_** this power and you fuckers are going to **_**beg**_** me to kill you quickly by the time I'm through with you!**"

"Hey, old man!" Naruko called as she formed the Tiger Handsign, "That's cool and all but…_**Katsu**_!"

With a massive roar, the large amount of exploding tags that Kaen had strolled upon as he entered the line of sight of the Konoha Shinobi went off like the impact of the fist of an angry Kami.

"Whoo!" Naruko cheered, "Naruko, one, Snake Bastard's lackey, zero."

"Remind me not to get on her bad side." Zabuza remarked to Haku.

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." the kunoichi replied with a nod, making a note not to not piss off the Uzumaki Heiress when she had Kibaku Fuda on her.

"**Fuck…fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…**" Kaen's voice came from the cloud of smoke and fire, making the Shinobi looking on gape in shock.

"**THAT FUCKING HURT, YOU LITTLE BITCH!**" Kaen bellowed as he staggered out of the smoke, "**I barely had time to absorb all of the fire from the explosion! You actually managed to **_**hurt me with fire**_**, you little trollop!**"

"Anyone want to fill me in on what the hell is going on?" Naruko asked in disbelief.

"He can totally control any fire he has within his line-of-sight, even flames created by other people's chakra." Kakashi informed her.

"Broken. That has to be the most broken ability I have ever heard of." Naruko deadpanned, "Even the Sharingan isn't as overpowered as that!"

"**Just for that, you are going to watch helplessly as I kill your teachers and little friends.**" the Bounty Nin growled in rage. His clothing, which hadn't escaped the blast unharmed, flapped in the wind as he stepped forwards menacingly.

"Fuck that." Naruko said flatly. She was about to raise her sword, when all of a sudden, Kaen was on top of her, right in front of her! Four of his arms shot out and grabbed her limbs, heaving her into the air as she struggled against him.

"**Now…know your own powerlessness!**" he sneered at her as he exerted pressure on her arms and legs. Naruko shrieked in pain as all four of her limbs were broken like twigs, flopping uselessly as Kaen effortlessly switched none to gently to a single-handed grip around her neck.

Kaen smirked as he drank in her pain before negligently throwing her to the ground, eliciting another expression of agony from the Uzumaki Heiress.

"Son of a bitch!" Anko snarled before she flinched at the renewed throbbing from her Cursed Seal.

"**Hahahaha! You seriously haven't used the **_**Ten no Juin**_ **since you received it, have you?**" Kaen laughed contemptuously at Anko's obvious pain, "**The safety interlock seal prevents you from so much as throwing a kunai at me right now. Give in to the power and you can fight me, bitch. Not that a new First Stage Seal will help you against me!**"

With that, the clash between Kaen and the Konoha Shinobi began anew.

Naruko had gone blind with the pain of her broken limbs. She could barely see the form of Kaen fighting her friends and sensei, but she couldn't so much as move a finger. Kaen was right; she was cursing her own powerlessness here as she was forced to watch those she cared about fight a foe that seemed to possess an overwhelming level of strength.

'_Damn it all! I have to get up! I have to fight! I have to protect them!_' Naruko thought desperately as she tried and failed to connect to the Kyūbi. The fox had informed her the previous night that she had to accomplish this mission without his assistance in order to pass the first challenge of the three he could set.

'_I have to do something…_anything_…to stop him!_' the Uzumaki Heiress struggled to name the feeling that was welling up within her as she tried to do something to save her friends, who were getting very close to being killed by Kaen. His gratuitous use of his _**Higan**_, combined with his three-hundred and sixty degree line of sight, meant there was very little chance of totally avoiding the flames without suffering minor burns at least.

Most of the Genin, thanks to the protection of the older Shinobi, only had minor burns on their arms or legs. Akamaru's fur was lightly singed, but he was otherwise unharmed.

The older Shinobi had been lucky so far, but it was only a matter of time before Kaen eliminated one of them.

"Enough is enough!" Haku snarled as she dodged another _**Kaen Kasoku**_, "_**Hyōton Hijutsu: Makyō Hyōshō!**_"

Her ultimate technique appeared around Kaen, shocking the rest of the Shinobi except Anko. The temperature plummeted and Kaen was taken aback at this revelation.

"_**What the fuck? An Elemental Kekkei Genkai?**_" he said in shock.

"Let us see if you can keep up with my true speed, vermin." Haku said coldly as she stepped into a mirror, creating reflections in the other twenty mirrors. Drawing a double-handful of senbon, she began her attack.

Kaen roared with pain as he was pummelled by a hail of senbon from all directions, the reflections seeming to throw actual senbon as well.

"A Clone Jutsu?" Sakura wondered, her quick mind trying to decipher the method of attack.

"Nope." Zabuza corrected her, "Haku's Kekkei Genkai allows her to move between all of those mirrors at something like the speed of light, allowing her to turn whoever is unlucky enough to be trapped within the dome into a walking pincushion. She hates to use it most of the time, as it is very hard to use."

'_Dodged a kunai there._' Anko thought with a sweatdrop, '_More like a fuck-ton of senbon, but whatever._'

"Don't resent me…as this is the fate of a Shinobi." Haku muttered as she ceased her assault and shattered her mirrors, "Certainly a better fate than the likes of you deserves."

"**Is that a fact now?**"

Haku wheeled around in shock. "Impossible!"

Kaen uncovered his head, the only part of himself he had bothered to shield and smirked at the stunned kunoichi. "**What, was that your strongest jutsu or something?**" he sneered, "**It wasn't bad, but it'll take more than a few hundred senbon to put me down. In this form, my muscles and skin are as strong as steel. All you did was give me a light massage.**"

"I've never seen _anyone_ shrug off Haku's attack like that." Zabuza shook his head in disbelief, "He's a real monster."

"**Tch. Just give up and die already!**" Kaen snorted, "**You don't stand a chance against me!**"

Naruko, who had finally managed to struggle to her feet, felt that odd sensation again. It felt like anger, hatred and…desire?…all mixed into one. What was it she was feeling? She wanted…she wanted to…

She wanted to kill the bastard who threatened her friends.

A second after Naruko realised this, a burst of unfamiliar chakra exploded from within her, making her shriek as it ran throughout her body from a place deep within her.

The attention of all the Shinobi was swiftly drawn to Naruko as she shrieked, even more so when she began to levitate off the ground as she writhed in pain.

"**Huh? What's this?**" Kaen sneered as he turned to face the shrieking girl, "**Stupid fucking brat. All you needed to do to live a bit longer was lie there helplessly, but **_**no**_**, you just **_**had**_** to pull whatever the hell this is. Now you are **_**dead**_**, bitch.** _**Me Hakka: **__**Homusubi! (Eye Ignite: Fire Sunray!)**_"

A long spear of fire materialised before Kaen, who gestured with one hand, sending it flying at Naruko, who was helpless to defend herself.

Another wave of pure chakra pulsed off her as the ground beneath her feet was engraved with a simple symbol that all the Konoha shinobi (except Sasuke) recognised: the Uzumaki Spiral. When the fiery spear reached the edge of the spiral, it washed over an invisible shield that sprung up in a dome over Naruko.

"…**the fuck?**" Kaen said after a moment, "**Kekkai Ninjutsu? How the hell did you put something like that up with your arms and legs broken?**"

_***My daughter did not. **_**I**_** did.***_ a voice said. Within the barrier, the phantasmal image of a tall redheaded woman appeared. She looked just like an older version of Naruko with pure red hair and Kakashi's gasp proved who she was.

"Kushina…nee-san…!?" the silver-haired man choked out, seeing his sensei's dead wife for the second time in a week, but this was no simple transformation jutsu used by her daughter.

_***Kakashi-kun.***_ Kushina smiled at him before frowning at Kaen, _***I can see why my daughter sincerely wishes to kill you; you are a cold and heartless monster who has no morals about attacking fresh Genin or even someone who is unable to defend herself. My daughter will punish you herself once her seal has been released-'ttebane!***_

"_**That**_** little bitch? Punish **_**me**_**?!**" Kaen guffawed arrogantly, "**She can't even keep up with me!**"

_***We shall see about that.***_ Kushina smiled coldly before turning to her daughter, who was looking at her in amazement.

"K-Kaa-…san?" she whispered in disbelief.

_***My beloved daughter.***_ Kushina smiled at her, _***I am so proud of you. Despite all the turmoil and pain you have endured, you still have a kind heart. You have known light and dark, love and hate, good and evil. Now you have felt true love from someone and the desire to truly kill this man behind me. Now I can release the Uzumaki Seal.***_

"The…Uzumaki Seal?" Naruko asked.

_***After we separated from the Senju Clan and discovered our Kongō **__**Fūsa no Jutsu (Adamantine Sealing Chains Jutsu), the then-Clan Leader of the Uzumaki designed a self-generating seal that would automatically be placed on any and all Uzumaki at birth.***_ Kushina explained, _***This was done in order to prevent our women from being kidnapped by other Clans or Hidden Villages to be used as breeding sows. Only the Clan Leader and Clan Heir of the Uzumaki possessed the counter-Seal to unlock it, but it was also designed to be unlocked after the bearer displays certain characteristics.***_

"What...what characteristics?"

_***The main trait of the Uzumaki Clan, loyalty. You must also be a moral person who does not possess any desire to kill or maim for no reason.***_ Kushina told her, *_**You must also be a Shinobi. The final two requirements are that you have known physical intimacy and the desire to truly kill someone in order to protect those who are precious to you. Your desire released me. I am a copy of your real mother's personality and a sample of her chakra that the Seal took when you were born. I don't have much longer, so I must release the Seal.***_

Kushina walked over to Naruko and cupped her head gently in her hands.

"Kaa-san…I…thank you…for being my mother." Naruko said with a smile, "I'll do my best to make you proud."

_***You already have.* **_Kushina replied with some tears, _***Now...let the world tremble at the return of an Uzumaki with the **_**full**_** power of our chakra and jutsu! Let the clouds weep, the earth tremble and the mist retreat, for I, Uzumaki Kushina, declares that my daughter is an Uzumaki, in blood, in name and in spirit! Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Uzumaki Chakra Intoku no Fūin: Kai! (Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Uzumaki Chakra Concealment Seal: Release!)***_

Removing Naruko's hitai-ate, Kushina kissed her daughter's forehead, causing a seal to appear there, that appeared all over her body where the skin was visible. Kushina smiled one last time before she dissolved into the blue light of chakra and entering the seal.

Another pulse of chakra, larger than the last two by far, erupted from the Uzumaki Heiress as the sound of bones resetting echoed throughout the bridge.

"Ow." Anko had to wince at that; bones being reset was never a pleasant, so experiencing four at once must be more than slightly painful. She then gaped as the very last remnants of blond vanished from Naruko's hair, leaving her with a head of pure blood-red Uzumaki hair.

The seals all over Naruko's body faded into nothing as she lightly touched down on the ground. Flexing her arms to test them, she found that they were fully healed, as were her legs. A last gift from her mother.

With a crack, the barrier fell, leaving Naruko completely vulnerable to Kaen's attacks. The Asura-like man didn't seem about to attack however. He was looking at Naruko with a calculating expression on his face.

"**An **_**actual**_** Uzumaki? Thought you were all extinct.**" he mused, "**Orochimaru-sama would reward me well to get his hands on you; he's always been interested in breeding stronger host-bodies. The Uchiha would make an excellent gift as well.**"

Sasuke scowled as the man talked about him being given to this Orochimaru person as a gift, as if he was an inanimate object or something.

"Like I'd let Sasuke-teme's pencil-dick to get anywhere near me." Naruko retorted at the man with a look of disgust at the thought of copulating with her rival.

"**Doesn't matter. Once Orochimaru-sama gets his hands on you, you'll bow to whatever he wants you to do pretty quickly.**" Kaen said flatly, "**Now then, let's be having you, brat. Maybe Orochimaru-sama will let me father children on you in exchange for my loyalty…?**"

"You end here." Naruko said flatly as she formed the Tiger handsign, "_**Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Kongō Gekisa no Jutsu! (Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Attacking Chains Jutsu!)**_"

Within her mindscape, the avatar that she occupied whenever she visited it sprouted four chains from her back, orange ones tipped with rounded spikes. They plunged into the water of the sewer-like water beneath her avatar and emerged into the real world.

"Holy…?!" Anko yelped as orange chains exploded out of her lover's back and slammed into the surface of the bridge, more links emerging rapidly as the chains formed a dome around Naruko and Kaen.

"_**Another**_** Barrier Ninjutsu? Man, you are a one trick pony.**" Kaen sneered as he started cracking his knuckles…all six sets of them.

"_**Shibari (Bind)**_." Naruko said with a frown at his useless showmanship.

The four chains erupted from beneath Kaen and pierced through the so-called strong as steel skin and muscles of his lower set of arms without any trouble, making him bellow in pain. He tried to grab the chains with his other four arms, but found them ill placed to do so. Thusly, in short order, he found all of his arms were pierced and bound tighter than a newly made drum.

"**What the…Grrr…Let me loose you brat!**" the Bounty Nin demanded, "**This pathetic jutsu won't hold me for long and when I get out of here, you are going to regret being born female!**"

He tried to struggle, but the chains merely tightened in response, making him gnash his three sets of teeth in frustration, before an idea occurred to him.

"_**Me Hakka: **__**Shōdo! (Eye Ignite: Scorched Earth!)**_" he roared…

…nothing happened.

"**Wha-what the…?**" he gaped in disbelief. His _**Higan**_ weren't working. What the hell?

"Although these are an incomplete form of my Clan's _**Kongō **__**Fūsa**_, they are still strong enough to suppress one of the first three Bijū, the Ichibi, Nibi and Sanbi." Naruko said with a smirk, "Do you really think a mere Dōjutsu -an artificial one at that- could possibly resist the dampening powers of these chains?"

"**How the hell did you know that my **_**Higan**_** are manmade, bitch?!**" Kaen bit out.

"You just told me." Naruko stated blandly.

Anko was laughing her ass off outside the barrier at the look of utterly perplexed outrage on Kaen's face at that. She also realised that her _**Ten no Juin**_ had settled down into minor twinges rather than the bubbling seethe that had been going on since the bastard had gone into his Curse Mark's Second Stage.

'_Looks like those chains have the added effect of dampening the influence of someone's Curse Mark._' Anko thought in relief. While Naruko's addition to her _**Fūja**_ _**Hōin**_ meant that her Curse Mark wouldn't repeatedly try to break free while the reinforcement seal was active, it had still hurt like hell.

"Now, witty repartee aside, I have one question for you before I send you on your all-expenses-paid trip to Yomi." Naruko said as she idly returned her _**Kongōgatana**_ to its gauntlet form, "Where is Orochimaru?"

Anko's head shot up at this and began glaring at the man, who looked like a walking chain Shibari advertisement.

"**Fuck…you….!**" Kaen spat.

"Ah well." Naruko shrugged, "It was worth a try. A low-level throwaway experiment like you wouldn't know much anyway."

"**WHAT!?**" the Asura-man snarled in a fury.

"If you were actually useful, Orochimaru would have kept you near him." the Uzumaki Heiress shrugged again, a wicked smirk on her face, "Anko-sensei was his apprentice; she knows his research habits, as well as how he uses what he terms 'waste materials', meaning you. You must have failed to accomplish what he wanted, so he made you a money cow, hunting bounties for him to fund his twisted version of science."

With every word, Kaen grew more and more furious. "**How dare you insult Orochimaru-sama! A worm like you has no idea of his glory!**"

"I don't need to; all I have to do is hear what he did to Anko-sensei as he abandoned her." Naruko replied flatly, "That is more than enough reason for me to want to dance on his grave…and yours."

With that, Naruko reached over her shoulder and drew her mother's sword, Benihime, in anger for the first time in her life. The rasp of steel on the built-in sharpeners on the inside of the sheath sang like a chorus to the Uzumaki Heiress' ears.

The light reflected off Benihime as Naruko slowly strode closer to Kaen, the blade held loosely at her side in a casual, yet decidedly deadly way.

"**You…you wouldn't dare!**" Kaen blustered, "**I'm helpless! Don't you snivelling Konoha Shinobi have bleeding hearts? You're supposed to be unable to say 'boo' to a goose!**"

"You have an active Curse Mark." Naruko replied coldly as she implacably moved within sword-reach distance, "With no real way to secure you because of that, the Konohagakure Rules of Engagement permit summarily execution of someone like you if it is deemed appropriate by the Mission Leader. Kakashi-sensei, is it appropriate in this instance?"

"I deem it so." Kakashi replied formally, "Make it quick, Genin Uzumaki, we still have three-hundred mercs, thugs and bandits to kill, not to mention one midget dictator."

"Roger that, Kakashi-sensei." Naruko acknowledged, "Any last words?"

"**I…will…not…die…by the hands of a brat like you!**" Kaen snarled as he thrashed in his bonds to no avail. The chains held him almost entirely immobile, barely trembling from his efforts.

'_This shouldn't be possible!_' Kaen thought in helpless rage, '_In my Second Stage form, the angrier I am, the stronger I am! I broke through chains twice as thick as these ones before Orochimaru-sama sent me on my mission, so why the hell can't I break free from _these_ ones?!_'

"Huh…you made the chains tremble." Naruko noted, "Impressive. Not that it will save you though."

She raised her blade and drew it back for the final cut, making Kaen struggle desperately before something occurred to him.

"**Heh…hahahahahahahaha!**" he guffawed, "**Why the hell was I so worried? I dunno what these damned chains are, let me tell ya something; that little sword of yours can't pierce my **_**Kohada (Steel Skin)**_**!**"

"Is that so? Well then, let _me _tell _you_ something." Naruko replied calmly, "There is _nothing_ that Benihime cannot cut!"

With a single chop, Naruko sent Benihime flying at Kaen's neck. Hachidoro Kaen looked smug, right up until the Honour Blade of the Uzumaki cleft his head from his shoulders in a fountain of blood. He had a second to feel disbelief that she possessed not one, but two things that could pierce his skin before his world faded to black, a curse of his lips for his killer.

Naruko watched emotionlessly as the severed head of the first man she had slain fell to the ground with a thud. She knew that, technically, the first person she had killed was Inaba Kogorō, but speaking realistically, he had killed himself; all she had done was destroy a chakra construct that had a pattern of his mind etched into it.

Benihime started to glow and shiver. It was time to rename the blade.

Naruko retracted her chains from Kaen's body, allowing it to crumple to the ground with a thud, as she held her sword aloft, the wave-like patterns emitting a soft blue light as it awaited its new name.

"I have taken a life." she announced clearly, "Blood has been tasted by my blade, formerly known as Benihime. I bind the Honour Blade of the Uzumaki to me for life; let none touch her save for me. I rename her…Himiko (Fire Priestess)!"

The gentle glow of the sword became a blindingly bright blaze that blinded the rest of the Shinobi for a moment. When they could see again, Naruko was on her knees, using Himiko to hold herself up, and the chakra chain barrier that separated her from them was gone.

Ino and Hinata sprinted over to her side in a flash and looked her over for injuries. Anko soon joined them and forcibly shoved a Hyōrōgan down Naruko's throat after using her _**Shindan no Jutsu**_ on her.

"That was reckless, even for you!" she scolded Naruko as the pill revitalised her lover, "Kushina-sama's chakra chain jutsu _and_ binding the blade to you, one after another! It's a good thing you're an Uzumaki otherwise that would have given you Chakra Exhaustion!"

"Had to be done." Naruko grinned up at Anko wearily, "The only thing that could hold him down was my _**Kongō Gekisa**_ and the only thing that could definitely pierce his skin, other than the chains, was Himiko."

"In other words, you wanted to claim your sword as your own." Ino said shrewdly, making Naruko flinch as the guess struck a bull's-eye, "I thought so; if Benihime could cut through the skin, so could your Kongōgatana."

"Himiko." Naruko corrected, "Her name is Himiko."

"Well, leaving aside Naruko-chan's sword, we have bandits to deal with." Kakashi interrupted, "Gatō as well."

"Right." Naruko stood up, waving her teammates' concern to one side, "I'm fine. Hinata-chan, using the _**Koinu-me no Jutsu (Puppy Eyes Jutsu)**_ on me isn't going to change my mind. Nor will scowling at me, Ino-chan."

"Her chakra is well up to her usual level, you two, so there's no need to worry about her." Kakashi assured her worried teammates, "Now, let's get going. We have a midget to cut down to size."

The sound of footsteps from behind them, made the Shinobi turn to face the newcomers.

"Ah." Kakashi said as he saw the large group of newcomers, "Excellent timing. Would you like to take part as well?"

"If it means getting rid of Gatō, Hell yes." Tazuna said firmly, the rest of the villagers who he had gathered up nodding in agreement.

Anko grinned. "This'll be fun. What do you have in mind, Cyclops?"

Ignoring the Snake Mistress' casual insult, Kakashi began to outline his plan.

_With Gatō and his Army…_

"It's gotten really quiet, boss." his bodyguard said quietly.

"I can tell that, ya dope!" the diminutive crime boss snarled as he peered into the mist that still swathed the bridge. He was starting to have a bad feeling about this. It was inconceivable that such a powerful and well-known group like the _**Ashura no Shimen**_ could lose to a has-been like Zabuza and a bunch of pansies like the Konoha Shinobi, but still…

"Alright. Move out!" he ordered, "Assume that those idiots from the _**Ashura no Shimen **_lost, but managed to weaken the Konoha idiots and Zabuza. All previous orders remain the same, as do the rewards. Kill the men and capture the women."

Eagerly, the three-hundred-odd group of mercenaries advanced along the bridge, unsheathing and brandishing their swords and grunting like a herd of pigs looking for truffles. A few, the ones who used their heads for something other than eating and headbutting people, looked around somewhat nervously at the obvious signs of a ninja battle that scarred the surface of the bridge and had second thoughts about this.

Gatō made sure to stay in the middle of the pack, with plenty of guards (read: meat shields) on all sides just in case the Shinobi tried anything. He was sure that they had to be exhausted by now. Even Ninja had their limits, surely.

"Gatō, Gatō, Gatō…" a mocking female voice called from the mist, "You, and your fan boys, have this one chance to surrender peacefully. If you do not, I can guarantee that you will die here on this bridge. An answer please."

"You dare mock me!?" Gatō shrieked, "I'll make you regret being born!"

"Should I take that as a 'no' then?" the woman sneered.

"Of course, you bitch!" the Shipping Magnate shouted back, "Now get your ass out of that damn mist!"

"I had a feeling you'd say that." the voice was sounding positively gleeful at this point, "Naru-chan, 'Nata-chan, let loose the rain of steel!"

A moment later, a pair of female voices spoke up from just ahead of them.

"_**Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu!)**_"

"_**Fūton: Reppūshō!**_"

The front ranks started screaming in pain as a fuckton of palm-sized throwing stars whizzed out of the mist and began shredding them into pieces.

"Emo! Flower Girl! You next!" the first voice shouted.

"_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**_"

"_**Fūton: Reppūshō!**_"

Two more voices spoke up, this time from behind them ('_How the hell did they get behind us?!_' Gatō thought in fear), heralding a large fireball that smashed into the rear ranks with a roar, accompanied by pained shouts and cries of agony.

"_**Suiton: Mizurappa no Jutsu! (Water Style: Raging Waves Jutsu!)**_" Zabuza's voice said from above them, sending a large quantity of water washing all over the panicking crowd of thugs, soaking them to the bone.

No sooner had Zabuza finished giving the mercs an impromptu bath, Kakashi leapt above the army, his palms trusted out at the wet men and shouted, "_**Raiton: Jibashi no Jutsu!**_"

Pure white lightning erupted from his hands and lanced out at the soaked soldiers, spreading to every person who was wet and/or held a solid-metal weapon.

Gatō stood paralyzed as his three hundred-strong army of toughs and thugs was systematically, split, isolated and cut to pieces y an unending army of red-clad redheads. The nucleus of about ten ex-samurai from the armies of the Fire Daimyo around him were also paralyzed, but for a different reason; they were trapped by the mental illusion of being bound by tree limbs.

'_Wha…what the hell kind of monsters…are these Konoha Shinobi?!_' the short man gibbered to himself. None of the Nuke-nin he had backstabbed in the past had ever teamed up with the ones he had sent them to kill before! None of them had even suspected a thing! How the hell was this happening?!

"_**Magen: Jubaku Satsu Bakuhatsu no Jutsu! (Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death Explosion Jutsu!)**_"

The ten Rōnin Samurai were blown up by the strategically positioned Kibaku Fuda that Kurenai placed around them while their bodies were paralyzed by her genjutsu, covering Gatō with blood and a few body parts.

"Heeeeee!" Gatō tried to back-pedal, only to run into Zabuza, who grabbed the little coward by the collar of his jacket and hauled him up to glare him in the eyes.

"And then there was one." Zabuza rumbled menacingly, "Hello, Gatō. Tell me something; do you remember my warning from a few days ago? About what would happen if you tried to backstab me?"

The only response he received was inane gibbering and the sound of the crime boss' bowls voiding in his terror.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Zabuza said with an eye roll. Absolutely no dignity before he died. How appropriate.

"Y-y-y-y-y-you wouldn't dare kill m-m-m-me!" Gatō stuttered out, "I'm…I'm the CEO of the Gatō Corporation!"

"Ah yes. About that, Chibi-teme." Naruko said as she sauntered up to the man casually, "I have a deal for you. Care to hear it?"

"Wh-what is it?" Gatō asked.

"You will give us your back account details, safety deposit box combination…hell, let's just say everything you have that is worth money…and Zabuza will kill you with a single cut of his sword." Naruko said with a cold smile, "Quick, painless and simple. Should you refuse…we will give you to the crowd of ladies and gentlemen behind us so they can exact their revenge upon you…I understand Tazuna-san wants you to know what it is like to be crucified and have your arms cut off like you did to Kaiza-san."

The short man who had once been one of the richest men in the Elemental Nations looked over at the just arrived crowd of villagers armed with assorted crude weaponry. Standing in the front was Tazuna, Tsunami and Inari, all of whom were giving the short man a death glare.

Sagging, Gatō began listing numbers, codes, names details and the locations of keys and safety deposit boxes. The entire list was extensive and took ten minutes for the Magnate to reel them off as Naruko dutifully copied them down onto a scroll.

"And which ones store the money you've stolen from Nami no Kuni?" Naruko asked once he fell silent.

"The last four accounts with the Kinko Banking Society." Gatō spat.

"I see." Naruko made notations at those accounts, "Well, this is quite the impressive list and, as you kept your part of the bargain, I guess we should as well. Zabuza-san?"

"Finally." the Nuke-nin grumbled. He threw Gatō into the air with a light toss and then brought his sword down in a textbook vertical slash that bisected the small crime boss from groin to crown.

"The Tyrant is dead!" the villagers cheered. Some were even crying with relief at the end to their two-year long nightmare. A certain old man, however, was crying for an entirely different reason.

"My Bridge!" Tazuna bemoaned, "My beautiful bridge!"

"My clones will help you fix it." Naruko assured the old drunkard, "For now though, they'll be taking care of all of these bodies."

"Ah…that's very good of you." Tazuna looked around at the three-hundred bodies and looked a bit green, "I'll spread the news in the village. C'mon guys; it's party time!"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: A Debt of Blood**

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu with its name Emboldened is of my own creation.**

_Any Jutsu in Italics is a Video Game Ninjutsu that I have ranked myself._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Me Hakka: Kaken - Eye Ignite: Fire Sword**

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Dōjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _The user creates a fiery sword and wields it against their foes._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: ****Inkan Kyōka no Jutsu - Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Seal Strengthening Jutsu**

Rank: Low-B

Type: _Uzumaki Fūinjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _An Uzumaki Sealing technique designed to temporarily reinforce another seal. The strength of the reinforcement depends entirely on the amount of chakra used, the sealer's understanding of Fūinjutsu in general and the strength of the seal being reinforced._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Suiton: Suihachi no Jutsu - Water Style: Water Bowl Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _The user shoots a continuous jet of water at the opponent. Although fairly weak, its continuous flow is useful for forcing people back and disrupting smoke-based attacks._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Suiton: Suijinheki no Jutsu - Water Style: Water Formation Wall Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Defensive_

Effect: _A defensive Suiton Jutsu. The user either creates water from their mouth or manipulates pre-existing water to form a defensive screen before them to intercept attacks. Senju Tobirama, the Nidaime Hokage, was especially adept at this jutsu, creating it without utilising either of the previous two methods due to his supreme mastery of the water element._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Doton: Dochūbaku no Jutsu - Earth Style: Landslide Jutsu

Rank: High-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A powerful, yet simple, jutsu. It sends a massed landslide of earth at the foe._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Me Hakka: ****Kaen Dōka - Eye Ignite: Flame Assimilation**

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Chakra Absorption, Defensive, Dōjutsu, Kekkei Genkai_

Effect: _Using the power of the __**Higan**__, the user can either disintegrate chakra-made fire and absorb the chakra that makes it up, or take control of the fire and use it as a base for a jutsu of their own._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Enryūnomai: Yon - Flame Dragon Dance: Four**

Rank: High-C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _Using pre-existing flames as a base, the user creates four fire dragons to attack the same foe._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: False Surroundings Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _A relatively simple Genjutsu, this jutsu tricks the opponent into thinking that they are somewhere else. Those well versed in Genjutsu and those with a Dōjutsu that permits them to see Chakra can easily overcome this technique._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Me Hakka: ****Homusubi - Eye Ignite: Fire Sunray**

Rank: Mid-B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Dōjutsu, Kekkei Genkai, Offensive_

Effect: _The user creates a spear of fire and hurtles it at the enemy. The name comes from one of the alternate names of Kagutsuchi, the Japanese God of Fire._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

**Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Uzumaki Chakra Intoku no Fūin: Kai! - Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Uzumaki Chakra Concealment Seal: Release**

Rank: S

Type: _Uzumaki Fūinjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _This is the counter for the Uzumaki Chakra Intoku no Fūin. The Seal itself is a self-replicating Seal that copies itself onto any child either fathered by or given birth by an Uzumaki. It restricts the special chakra of the Uzumaki Clan, preventing the use of the Clan's chakra chain jutsu. This jutsu is only known by the Clan Heir and Clan Head of the Uzumaki. Alternatively, the Seal can be released through acting like a true Uzumaki in both mind and deed._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Uzumaki Fūinjutsu: Kongō Gekisa no Jutsu - Uzumaki Sealing Jutsu: Adamantine Attacking Chains Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Uzumaki Fūinjutsu, Hiden, Ninjutsu, Barrier Ninjutsu, Offensive, Defensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _An incomplete version of the Uzumaki Kongō __Fūsa Jutsu, this Jutsu is still strong enough to bind any of the Bijū below four tails, as well as attack and create barriers._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Shuriken Kage Bunshin no Jutsu - Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu

Rank: A

Type: _Ninjutsu, Clone Jutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A jutsu created by Sarutobi Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, this technique creates physical duplicates of a thrown shuriken or even a handful of them. As the clone-weapons form in an instant, it is very difficult, some might say impossible, to evade them completely._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

Suiton: Mizurappa no Jutsu - Water Style: Raging Waves Jutsu

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A relatively simple jutsu that sends a mass of water at the opponent to force them back._

**nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn**

_Magen: Jubaku Satsu Bakuhatsu no Jutsu - Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death Explosion Jutsu_

Rank: Mid-B

Type: _Genjutsu, Supplementary, Offensive_

Effect: _A very basic addition to the basic Jubaku Satsu Genjutsu. The user plants Kibaku Fuda on their targets while they are paralyzed._


	24. The Debt of Blood

**Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 24 for your reading pleasure.**

**I would have had this up earlier, but I've been unwell. Moreover, there have been power failures. Stupid hailstorms.**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 24: The Debt of Blood**

_The Next Day, at Midday_

_Bathroom, Tazuna's House, Nami no Kuni_

"Ahhhhh~" Ino sighed as she relaxed in the bath, "Heaven!"

The Yamanaka Heiress had the bath to herself today, as Naruko was busy helping Tazuna fix the damage she and the rest of the Shinobi had accidentally dealt to the Bridge the previous day, Team 7 was on guard duty and Hinata had gone off to train with Kurenai-sensei and Anko-sensei.

Tsunami was looking after the last living member of the _**Ashura no Shimen**_, Tomoe, who had formally surrendered to Konoha once she escaped her fifty minutes of pain. Zabuza and Haku were hanging around somewhere as well

'_The last week and a half has been hell!_' Ino thought with a shiver, '_Fanatical Clans, evil dictators, demon trees, Nuke-nin and…killing bandits…_'

Ino had been taught her entire life that eventually, as a Kunoichi, she would have to kill. Intellectually, she had acknowledged that fact and accepted it, but seeing the real thing had been a sharp wake-up call. The bridge had been covered with bits and pieces of bodies, some still twitching. Burned, cut and shredded, the bandits hadn't even stood a chance against them

They had deserved it, she knew. Some of them had been C-Rank criminals in the Bingo Book, guilty of murder, rape and all sorts of other crimes in Hi no Kuni and beyond. One of the Samurai had even had a bounty put on him by Tetsu no Kuni for the murder of the Shogun's Second Cousin.

Still, knowing she had killed a fellow human wasn't a pleasant feeling and Ino was using the solitude offered by the bath to reflect upon the C-turned-S-Rank her team had had, as well as the C-turned-A-Rank her rival Sakura's team had had.

The door to the bath opening drew the blond-haired girl out of her musings as Naruko walked in looking tired, her body wrapped in a towel.

"Hey Ino-chan." the Uzumaki Heiress called out to her friend, "Mind if I join you?"

"N-no…not at all." Ino replied with a blush. This was another thing she hoped to get a handle on at some point; her feelings for her friend Naruko existing at the same time as her crush on Sasuke.

Yesterday, arguing with Sasuke should have made her wail inside with horror, yet…it hadn't. If anything, she had felt vindicated that she was acting more mature than he had been.

"Dear Kami!" Naruko moaned as she lowered herself into the water, "I'm going to have to see about making our bath at home like this one!"

"If you do, you'll have trouble keeping me out of it!" Ino giggled, "How goes the bridge?"

"Meh. We've almost finished fixing the holes in the bridge." Naruko shrugged, "Tazuna-ji-san keeps moaning about the damage done, but we didn't exactly have a choice against the spider bastard or the Curse Mark user."

"Yeah…" Ino sighed, "Naruko-chan, can I ask a personal question?"

"Sure." her now redheaded friend replied.

"You…killed that Kaen guy…does it ever haunt you?" Ino asked quietly.

"No." Naruko said firmly, "If I hadn't, he would have killed all the boys and enslaved all us girls. He was an insane idiot working for one of the greatest traitors in the history of the village. He isn't worth my feelings in that regard. Why do you ask?"

"It's just…the bandits and mercs…" Ino trailed off uneasily.

She suddenly found herself embraced from the side by a wet and naked Naruko, making her heart start to pound as fast as a rabbits.

"N-n-naruko-chan?!" Ino eeped out, sounding very much like Hinata in that moment.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Ino." Naruko whispered, dropping any honorifics to make her point, "If we hadn't killed them, they would just have run off and caused trouble elsewhere. I'm proud of you and when Inoichi-san hears about how well you've done, he'll be proud of you too."

"You…you are? He will?" Ino asked shyly.

"He'll put you through a counselling session first, but yes." Naruko said as she let her friend go, "Seriously though, don't waste your concern on those scumbags. They are not now nor were they ever worth the headache you have."

'_And it's a wonder I have a crush on her why?_' Ino thought with a smile.

"That reminds me, Ino-chan." Naruko said with a frown, "What's this I hear of you asking for Injutsu lessons?"

"Oh…" the blond girl flushed red, "That was Anko-sensei's idea. She says that I'm a liability in that department. I'm sensitive -_really_ sensitive- to being touched…sexually."

"I won't help if it's against your will." Naruko said stubbornly.

"It isn't against my will, not exactly." Ino countered, "It's just…I know that you and Hinata-chan are an item now and…I don't wanna get in between you two."

The Yamanaka Heiress congratulated herself on a masterful way of not blurting her feelings out to her crush like an idiot.

"Oh…you don't have to worry about that." Naruko pulled a sour face, "An-chan is making Hinata-chan have Injutsu lessons with me as well. Is she trying to make me lose control or something?"

"What do you mean?" Ino asked curiously.

"Remember the two gate guards back at the estate?" Naruko asked. When Ino nodded, she continued, "They were originally partners for me to test my Injutsu skills on. I…kinda sorta broke them."

"_Broke them?!_" Ino's eyes bulged in shock.

"Yeah…I used an Injutsu skill that I invented on them both…at once." Naruko's face was flushed red at the memories, "I call it '_**Injutsu: Mozu no Ie no Jutsu**_' and I was curious how effective it would be on an experienced Seduction Squad Kunoichi, so…I used it on them. They now call me 'Mistress' all the time. If I ordered them to go and break Ami, they'd do it without a second's thought."

"Wo…wow…" Ino was flushed red at that, "But…why does that…?"

"Ringo and Rinka are both submissive." Naruko said plainly, "So are you and Hinata. If I'm not careful, there is the chance I might break you two."

Ino drew in a breath at that, but forged on. "I think you're underestimating us." she informed her friend.

"Really?" Naruko said with a crooked grin, "Well then…here's a question for you. Do you want me to steal your first kiss now or in Konoha?"

"EH!?" Ino yelped slightly at the question, "I…err…eep!"

The last squeak was as Naruko moved in and pinned Ino to the wall, her breasts pressing against Ino's own. The Yamanaka Heiress squeaked again as Naruko planted a soft kiss to her neck, swiftly followed by a small moan as Naruko released Ino's hands and started to make them wander over the blond girl's body.

"Hmmm…I see what An-chan means." Naruko muttered softly, "You are sensitive, aren't you?"

"N-Naruko…!" Ino moaned, her hands moving to lightly clasp her friend's arms rather than trying to push her off.

"All you have to do is say 'no' and I'll stop." Naruko whispered into her friend's ear, "If you want me to take your first kiss though…say 'yes'. What'll it be, Ino-chan?"

Ino wasn't able to think clearly. The heat from the bath and the growing heat between her legs were making any kind of coherent thought difficult. She was sure though that Naruko wanted her to say 'no' so she could stop.

"Yesss…." Ino hissed as she tightened her grip on Naruko, who merely raised an eyebrow and said, "As the lady likes it."

Moving slowly, Naruko leaned in and took Ino's first kiss as her own. Ino stiffened before melting slightly in Naruko's arms as she valiantly tried to fight back in the tongue-wrestling match she was engaged in, but Naruko was completely dominating her mouth and making her mewl with how good she felt.

'_Who would have thought a kiss could be such a turn on!_' the Yamanaka Heiress thought dizzily, before she fainted.

"Ino-chan?!" Naruko yelped as her friend collapsed with a bit of mild heatstroke.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_Late Afternoon_

_Gatō's Former Residence, Nami no Kuni_

"Looks like Gatō was overcompensating for something." Naruko remarked as she stared up at the large mansion, "Or several things."

The place was gaudy as all get out, the kind of mansion you get when someone with more money than sense combined with a colossal sense of self-entitlement.

"Damn right." Zabuza agreed. He and Haku were accompanying Naruko and Anko to inspect the deceased Shipping Magnate's home for anything of interest…and so Zabuza could take the Three-million Ryo that the fat little man had promised to pay him and had legally forfeited to Zabuza when he had stabbed his hireling in the back.

"All the guards fled when news of Gatō's death reached them, so it should be empty right now." Haku informed them.

"Shame." Zabuza sighed, "I was feeling like gutting them like fish for all the disrespect they gave me whenever I came here."

Naruko sweatdropped at that. "Yeah…sure. Shame they scampered then." she said dryly, "Anyway, I'll scout the place. _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

Eight Shadow Clones appeared and immediately set out to infiltrate the place. Anko hitched an eyebrow at the fact Naruko hadn't had to use any handsigns for the jutsu. In fact, she hadn't had to use handsigns for the regular _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu **_since Morimura, only for the _**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_.

"Looks like you've fully mastered the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, brat." Anko remarked while they waited.

"Being attacked by a thirty story Tengu and a sixty story Immovable Wisdom King tends to make for quite the effective training tools." her lover replied dryly.

"I'm sure." Anko replied equally dryly before she leaned over to whisper in Naruko's ear, "You really rocked Ino's world earlier today."

"It was just a kiss." Naruko muttered back, "She fainted because she had spent too long in the bath."

"Oh I know that." Anko replied with a lecherous smirk, "But I was there when she came around. She was muttering about being 'killed by pleasure' and 'what a way to go!' Looks like you made an impression on her."

Naruko flushed slightly, but straightened up as she received the memories of her Shadow Clones. "A Hōrō-nin (Wandering Shinobi) is trying to break into the vault. He destroyed my clones not a minute ago."

A Wandering Shinobi was the member of a Hidden Village that had been destroyed, or a Clan Shinobi who had been cast out of their Clan. Indicated by a blank Hitai-ate, Wandering Shinobi were usually treated contemptfully by the rest of the Shinobi World, even the Nuke-nin, so they usually kept their heads down. To find one willing to destroy Shadow Clones belonging to a Shinobi from one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations' Shinobi Forces was more than slightly surprising.

"Let's get them before they break in!" Anko commanded and smashed the door off its hinges with a chakra-enhanced kick.

"The door was unlocked." Naruko muttered with a shake of her head as she followed Anko through the doorway, Zabuza and Haku on her heels.

"Turn left, right, and left and then down the stairs." the only Genin among the group called to Anko, who immediately followed Naruko's instructions.

"Damn Hōrō-nin, trying to steal my payday." Zabuza snarled. The Demon of the Bloody Mist was _not_ happy about this.

"We will not let him get away with this, Zabuza-sama." Haku promised her master.

The four Shinobi stormed into the antechamber of the Vault entrance and immediately espied the Hōrō-nin they had come to stop. He was of average height and had an utterly forgettable face. His messy brown hair was held back by a blank Hitai-ate and his clothes were well worn and functional.

"Shit." was all he said as the Konoha Shinobi and Nuke-nin fanned out across the room to block access. His voice was rough, but sounded like he was utterly unfazed as her turned from the vault. When his eyes fell on Naruko, he scowled.

"Tch. An Uzumaki." he rumbled, "Thought you were extinct."

"A lot of people think that." Naruko remarked, "Now, kindly surrender or Zabuza-san will do to you what was done to Gatō."

"The Clans of Darkness will never surrender to the Uzumaki scum." the Hōrō-nin spat in disgust before he crunched something in his mouth before dropping like a stone.

"Shit!" Anko cursed. She went over to him and felt for a pulse, "Dead. Must have been a quick acting suicide pill hidden inside one of his molars."

"Who the heck are the Clans of Darkness?" Naruko asked in utter confusion, "He seemed to really hate Uzumaki. I'd better check the Uzu Archives."

"Uzu Archives?" Haku asked curiously as Anko sealed the body of the Hōrō-nin into a Corpse Storage Scroll.

"The compiled Knowledge of the Uzumaki Clan and its allies in Uzushiogakure, as well as our Jutsu Library and all our records going back to the split from the Senju Clan five hundred years ago." Naruko replied.

"Holy-! You have access to all of that?!" Zabuza gaped at Naruko.

"Yeah. My grandfather used his personal Summon to send them to my Kaa-san the day before Uzu fell." Naruko said with a sad smile.

"Huh. So that's how your mother knew the Seven Swordsmen led the attack." Zabuza mused, "The Uzukage was a cunning one for certain."

"What are these odd marks on the vault door?" Haku asked, pointing at the black marks around the door.

"Fūinjutsu." Naruko replied and moved to examine it. "Huh…not bad. This seal array, once complete, is designed to melt the door to a puddle of molten metal. I'm taking note of it."

With that, she took out as scroll and began copying out the fūinshiki from the door with a speed and skill that is rather impressive for a Genin.

"Is it Uzumaki work?" Anko asked curiously.

"No. It's a cut above the rest, but nowhere near the level of an Uzumaki Seal." Naruko replied absently, "It's also not compact enough for what it does. One Seal in the centre and one above, below, left and right would do it instead of all this complicated scribble around the entire circumference of the door. It's slow to do and chakra inefficient. A regular member of the Uzumaki Clan, one who was raised around the theory of Fūinjutsu like Kaa-san was, could design a better Seal than this."

She finished copying down what was left and, after a critical examination, added several strokes.

"There. That is that copied down." Naruko said with satisfaction, "Should I just complete the fūinshiki or should we use Gatō's code?"

"We're cleaning the place out." Zabuza replied, "If you can break the door, do it."

"Roger that. Stand back." Naruko said and quickly completed the fūinshiki with the same strokes she had used on the scroll.

At once, the complicated formula blazed red. Standing several paces back, Anko, Zabuza and Haku could feel the scalding heat they were producing and decided to relocate outside the antechamber and were swiftly joined by Naruko, who was sweating at the heat.

"What the hell kinda whacked-out jutsu is that?" Anko asked as the solid steel door started to melt into molten metal.

"A powerful one." Naruko frowned, "Whoever the Clans of Darkness are, they have at least a Journeyman-level Fūinjutsu master at their disposal. No ordinary Sealmaster could come up with a Fūinjutsu like this. Zabuza-san, Haku-nee, have either of you heard of them?"

"Not a thing." Zabuza shook his head, "There again, Nuke-nins don't do much except move from job to job whilst keeping ahead of the Oinin-Butai."

Haku shook her head as well. "Whoever they are, I would agree that they have a grudge against the Uzumaki. The level of hatred and dislike in his voice was not at all normal."

"…couldn't be…" Naruko shook her head as something occurred to her.

"Spill." Anko ordered.

"The Uzumaki Clan did have more than a few enemies." Naruko admitted, "According to the records, we fought four of the Five Great Shinobi Nations more than once, but our greatest enemies were those who misused and abused Fūinjutsu. We fought several minor battles over the centuries with those Clans and triumphed, scattering them to the winds. These…Clans of Darkness might be them, as every single one of them cursed us and swore vengeance."

"How long ago are we talking here?" Anko asked.

"I have no idea." Naruko shrugged, "Even with _**Kage Bunshin**_, there's only so much I can learn in a day. I only know this much about the Fūinjutsu abusing Clans because it was in the introduction packet for the Heir of the Uzumaki Clan."

"When we get back, have a look at the records." Anko ordered, "In the meantime, I think the seal is finished."

Indeed, while they had been talking among one another, the six-inch-thick steel door had melted into a rapidly expanding pool of metal, which Zabuza cooled off with a few minutes of bombardment with _**Suiton: Mizurappa**_.

"Now then, let's see what the short-arsed prick was hiding in his vault." the Nuke-nin stomped over the now cool remnants of what was once a very strong vault door.

Following him in, the three Kunoichi's jaws dropped at the sight they beheld. Stacks of gold bars, mounds of Ryo notes, heaps of precious jewels, racks of ornate weaponry, piles of silver…the list went on.

"Holy kami on a pogo stick." Naruko said into the silence, "Zabuza-san, you might want to add ten percent to your fee as a 'you-betrayed-me-you-little-bastard' bonus. There seems to be…ample funds on hand."

"Yeah…I think I'll do that." Zabuza said hoarsely. He had seen the Treasure Room of the Daimyo of Mizu no Kuni, as well as the Treasury of Kirigakure no Sato, but this _one_ room held more wealth than _either_ of those room had been filled with.

"How much did he steal from Nami no Kuni again?" Anko asked in a hushed tone.

"Several hundred thousand Ryo." Naruko replied as she consulted the list that she had acquired from Gatō, "That's from all the citizens on all the islands, the merchants, what passes for Nobility around here and the Nami Daimyo. He owes more as payment for damages to public property, destruction of goods, compensation for injuries suffered and death condolence money, by my reckoning. It still won't put a big dent in all this."

Naruko created a large number of Kage Bunshin and directed them to try to find something resembling a grand total of the sum of wealth in the vault. Eventually, one returned from Gatō's office with a thick leather-bound ledger that the puny dictator had, rather arrogantly, recorded every transaction, item stolen and who it was from.

"Tch. Overconfident sonofabitch." Zabuza grunted as he shook his head at the dead Shipping Magnate's hubris, "He seriously never even considered someone sneaking in to look for something exactly like this."

"His stupidity, our windfall." Anko said with a shrug, "Now we know all his financial activities in Nami no Kuni, legal and illegal, so we can give back exactly what the little shit stole from them."

Haku took the ledger and peered at it. "It appears Gatō also pencilled in receiving Zabuza-sama's bounty for a week from now, in Yugakure."

"From who?" Zabuza asked sharply.

"Agents of Yagura." Haku replied, "It says here that he was planning to haggle over returning Kubikiribōchō to Kirigakure, hoping to receive a substantial amount of money for it in addition to your own bounty."

"Little shit." Zabuza growled as he wished he had tortured the little bastard before cutting him in half. Ahhhh, the lost opportunities of choices past.

Over then next half an hour, the four Shinobi, plus a veritable army of servitor Shadow Clones, sorted through the heap of treasure so that they could distribute it properly. Until…

"HOLY FUCKING KAMI!" Naruko screamed as her eyes fastened on one weapon in particular.

"What?" Anko strolled over to see what her lover was looking…incredulous?…scared?…about. She saw a long spear inside a crystal case. It was almost the length of a pike, with a tsuki-yari spearhead. The haft was made of metal as well, which was unusual. The entire thing glittered like silver and had the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki Clan emblazoned at intervals up the haft.

"An Uzumaki weapon?" Zabuza asked, intrigued.

"Not just _any_ weapon." Naruko choked out, "_That_ is the Hakugin no Yari (White-Silver Spear), a lost treasure weapon. The second of only two traitors in the entire Uzumaki Clan stole it two-hundred years ago and fled. When the Clan tracked him down, the spear wasn't with him. It is a Clan Edict to find this spear and guard it with my life!"

"I'll get it for ya." Anko said and was about to step forwards when three Shadow Clones, their faces white with fear, tackled her.

"No!" the original Naruko cried, "It has a similar setup to Himiko, only with the Hakugin no Yari, any non-Uzumaki who touches it has their skin flayed from their bones, their flesh electrocuted and then reduced to ash!"

"…Paranoid much?" Zabuza deadpanned shakily. That was a harsh punishment for just touching the damn thing!

"Trust me, there is a reason for it." Naruko said grimly, "It is mine."

She carefully walked forwards the case and examined it closely. Etched into the edges of the glass were extraordinarily fine seals that locked the case up tighter than a newly made drum and made it harder to break than reinforced concrete, as well as something that made her eyes widen slightly.

Time suspension seals.

It wasn't actually a hard thing to do in Fūinjutsu. Basic Storage Scrolls preserved anything that was sealed into them exactly as it was in an extra-dimensional pocket. What was puzzling here was why the Uzumaki who created this case -it _had_ to be an Uzumaki, otherwise how would they put it in?- suspended the march of time within the damn case?

Double-checking for anything that might indicate a release mechanism, Naruko sighed. "Looks like this thing isn't going to be cooperative. You two, take the case -very carefully!- back to Tazuna-ji's house and guard it. No one is to go within a foot of it. In fact…_**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

Making the familiar handsign, Naruko summoned a small army of copies of herself and had them fan out to guard the box in a full five platoon's convoy formation.

"You don't do things by half, do you brat?" Anko asked with a sigh as she stood up again and brushed herself off.

"Sorry." Naruko apologised, "But I had to be careful. That was a SSS-Class Dangerous Artefact. There's no telling of what it will do if a non-Uzumaki goes too close to it. That's why I'll be creating a special Vault in my estate to keep it locked up in and to keep other people away from it."

"If it's so dangerous, how did that traitorous Uzumaki get his hands on it in the first place?" Zabuza asked.

"She." Naruko corrected, "Uzumaki Aya was the Clan Heiress of the Uzumaki at the time, so she was the Honorary Castellan and Keeper of the Hakugin no Yari. She was taught every counter-Seal and trap guarding it, so she was able to steal it."

Haku shook her head and decided to change the subject, as Naruko was looking decidedly uncomfortable at this line of questioning. "How much will Konohagakure be taking as payment for services rendered?"

"Well…" Naruko said thoughtfully, "Payment for one C-Rank mission by Team 7, payment for one A-Rank Mission by Team 7, plus a twenty percent fee for lies told by the Client as to the nature of that mission, and payment for one A-Rank Reinforcement Mission by Team 8, plus the bounties from the bandits and samurai."

"So basically, Gatō's estate is nice enough to pay for everything." Anko smirked, "Bet the penny pinching midget is rolling in his watery grave right now at all his wealth being used by us like this."

"I think I can find my way to not giving a damn." Naruko said with a smirk of her own.

"You two are scarily alike, Y'know that?" Zabuza said dryly.

The two trench coat-clad kunoichi looked at each other and shrugged.

"Meh." they said in unison.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_One Hour later_

_Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower, Konohagakure no Sato_

The Sandaime looked up as Hyūga Hiashi, Haruno Mebuki, Yamanaka Inoichi and Inuzuka Tsume entered his office. The old man was not looking forward to this conversation.

"Now, I am certain you are all wondering why I have summoned you four." he began once they were seated, "I am afraid it has to do with your children."

"Are they hurt?" Mebuki asked as fear for her daughter flashed across her face.

"No, but things have gotten…interesting…on their missions." Sarutobi replied wryly, "Team 8, to start with, was sent on an investigation mission to Morimura Village. I assume you have all heard rumours of what happened there?"

"Unsubstantiated rumours and gossip. Nothing more." Hiashi replied.

"I see. Allow me to furnish you all with the details…" the Hokage filled the increasingly incredulous parents in about the Akuryō no Moriki, the Yanagi Clan and the battles fought by Team 8 in order to defeat the evil that had plagued the forest of Morimura for almost a decade.

"…All in all, we are very lucky that Naruko was assigned to that team." Sarutobi finished, "Otherwise we would be going to war within Hi no Kuni with an insane despot and a demon tree."

"As well as our daughters being dead!" Inoichi snarled, "Why did you let the last Yanagi come here?"

"Several reasons." the Hokage replied as he lightly clasped his hands in front of him, "First, it gives up an additional pair of experienced Beginner-level Sealmasters to supplement our limited number of Fūinjutsu experts. Second, they acquiesced to having their minds scanned for any sign of treason on their part. Third, Naruko gave Yanagi Gozaburo an Uzumaki Yūjō no Akashi mark, so she trusts them, an endorsement that is hard to ignore."

"I am sure if you understand that we do not want the last of the Yanagi near our daughters nevertheless, Hokage-sama." Hiashi said in a cold voice.

"Understood." Sarutobi nodded, "Of more serious concern, Naruko has started to draw on her prisoner's power and even come into contact with the Kyūbi himself."

There was a sudden intake of breath from the gathered Shinobi and Councilwoman at that.

"The Kyūbi granted her the knowledge of an extremely powerful Katon Jutsu in order to defeat the Akuryō no Moriki." Sarutobi continued gravely, "In addition, he confirmed something long sought by myself and Jiraya; the identity of the person who ripped the Kyūbi from Uzumaki Kushina: a man bearing at least one _**Mangekyō Sharingan**_, a flame-patterned mask and identifying himself as Uchiha Madara."

"Impossible." Hiashi stated, "Madara was slain at the Shūmatsu no Tani (Valley of the End) over eighty years ago!"

"True." Sarutobi acknowledged, "But Jiraya and myself believe 'Uchiha Madara' is the disciple of Madara's disciple and has taken his name as a title, a pseudonym to disguise his identity. This is reinforced by the Kyūbi himself stating that it was not Uchiha Madara."

"Kami." Mebuki said hoarsely, her face chalk-white in shock, "And this one man is the cause of the Day of the Kyūbi?"

"I am afraid so." Sarutobi said solemnly, "Jiraya is putting out feelers using his information network to try and find the masked man while I try to narrow the possibilities of who the previous and current 'Madara' might be by sifting through the list of Uchiha Shinobi who died or became Nuke-nin."

"All the Uchiha Nuke-nin are accounted for…except for the Clan Killer." Tsume growled, "Why the dead?"

"In case one or more of them faked their death." Inoichi answered for the Village ruler, "With the fanatical way the Uchiha guarded their Dōjutsu, they used very powerful body destruction jutsu if they felt they were going to die alone and away from their Clansmen, so it wouldn't surprise me if a few fell through the cracks."

"Exactly my own thoughts." Sarutobi nodded at the Yamanaka Clan Head, "To return to Team 8, I would have called them back and given them a week off, if Team 7 hadn't required their assistance."

"What was the problem?" Tsume asked with a frown, "Kiba said it was an escort mission for a drunk old bridge builder."

"A Master Bridge Builder, yes." Sarutobi corrected her, "Tazuna-san lied. He was living in fear of the Shipping Magnate and Underworld Crime Boss Gatō. Team 7 was ambushed by the Demon Brothers en-route to Nami no Kuni, Tazuna-san's homeland, but managed to fight them off. Later, they were attacked by Momochi Zabuza."

"The Demon of the Bloody Mist?!" Mebuki yelped. Her husband had mentioned him a couple of times when talking about his travels, rumours about him being nearby and whatnot. If even half of what was said about the man was true, she was surprised, but glad, that Team 7 was still alive.

"That is his moniker. He fought Kakashi -with his _**Sharingan**_ exposed- to a standstill and managed to imprison him inside a _**Suiton: **__**Suirō no Jutsu (Water Style: Water Prison Jutsu)**_." Sarutobi told them, "Sakura-chan formulated a plan to free Kakashi and the Genin executed it perfectly. Mebuki, you should be very proud of your daughter."

"What did they do?" Tsume asked.

"Kiba-kun and Akamaru attacked the three Mizu Bunshin that Zabuza created as a diversion, while Sakura-chan and Sasuke launched a pincer attack on the real Zabuza with a hail of shuriken, kunai and even a rather nice _**Ninpō: Kage Shuriken no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Shadow Shuriken Jutsu) **_using Fūma Shuriken."

Hiashi frowned. "That shouldn't have been enough to force a Ninja of Zabuza's calibre to release the Suirō no Jutsu, no matter how well executed the barrage. I doubt that even my nephew's teammate, Higurashi Tenten, could achieve that with her skills."

"True, but Naruko has been _very_ generous with the amount of Kibaku Fuda that she has made, passing a bundle out to all of her friends." the Sandaime replied with a twinkle in his eye, "Every single kunai had one wrapped around their handles. Zabuza was incautious enough to grab the first Fūma Shuriken and use it to block one…the resulting blast threw him back half a meter and dislodged his arm from the _**Suirō**_."

"Remind me to thank her when she gets back here." Mebuki muttered to Tsume, who nodded in agreement.

"The next second, a Kirigakure Oinin apparently killed Zabuza and took his body with him, at which point Kakashi collapsed." the Hokage continued, "Jiraya is planning on putting him through a 'Boot Camp from Hell' when he gets back to Konoha for that."

Hiashi and Inoichi flinched. They had been friends with Namikaze Minato, Jiraya's student, and his stories about when the Gama Sennin got really serious about training had given the pair of them nightmares for days afterwards.

"Poor bastard." the two men muttered as one.

"Amen to that." Sarutobi agreed, "The next day, I was informed that Team 8 had cleansed Morimura, so I sent orders via Summon directing them to reinforce Team 7. This morning, I received an update from Kakashi, stating that the situation has been resolved favourably."

"This is going to be interesting to hear." Tsume said, "How did they get out of this one?"

"Well now." Sarutobi said with a small grin, "The battle went something like this…"

The Sandaime gave a brief overview of what the residents of Nami no Kuni were referring to as the Battle of the Bridge, both the fight against Zabuza, his apprentice and the Demon Brothers, and the next fight against the _**Ashura no Shimen**_.

By the end of the tale, the Shinobi in the room were frowning darkly as the third-worst Nuke-nin in Konohagakure's history reared his head again.

"So…Orochimaru has continued his human experimentation." Inoichi said grimly, "How is Anko taking it?"

"Not very well, according to Kakashi." Sarutobi sighed, "She desperately wants to kill Orochimaru for what he did to her and now, she discovers that the Snake Sannin has a way of shutting her down without even trying."

"How many of these damn _**Juinjutsu**_ has that traitor made?" Tsume growled. As an Inuzuka, her loyalty to her pack -to Konoha- was absolute and traitors to the pack were something she despised with her entire being.

"Unknown, but I would agree with Kurenai-kun's hypothesis that he has modelled some after the Rikudō (Six Paths)." Sarutobi replied, "We have Anko's _**Ten no Juin**_ and Hachidoro Kaen's _**Ashura no Juin**_, so theoretically, there could be a _**Juinjutsu**_ for every Path; We have seen Seals for Tendō (Deva Path) and Shuradō (Asura Path), so there are also Ningendō (Human Path), Chikushōdō (Animal Path), Gakidō (Preta Path) and Jigokudō (Naraka Path) to consider."

"As Shikaku would say…troublesome." Inoichi grumbled, "This proves that the Snake isn't keeping his head down like we thought he was. We should increase security, especially with the Chunin Exams beginning in in three weeks time."

"He has always wanted to master all the Ninjutsu in the world, so he will target the Uchiha." Hiashi spoke in a clipped voice that told those who knew him that he was in deep thought, "As soon as Team 7 returns, ANBU should be assigned to make certain that he isn't kidnapped during the Exams, should Hatake enter them."

"He will." Mebuki put in, "From everything Sakura has told me about him, he will enter them in order to show them how far they have to go before they are actually ready to be Chunin."

Sarutobi made a note to not underestimate the Civilian Councillor's ability to read people. Her analysis of Kakashi's motive was right on the money.

"I agree with your conclusions, but if Sasuke is entered into the Chunin Exams, we cannot show him any favouritism." the Sandaime sighed unhappily, "The ANBU wouldn't help him against any of his opponents in the Second Stage. That is a part of the Chunin Treaty."

"As long as the White Snake doesn't get his hands on the Sharingan, that is good enough." Hiashi opined, "Frankly, the Uchiha shouldn't be entered at all. He is still too focussed on his vengeance against the Clan Killer according to my daughter."

"Kiba and Akamaru would agree with you." Tsume snorted, "The Uchiha doesn't give a damn about anything other than his vengeance."

"Sadly, it is completely up to the Jonin-sensei as to whether to nominate the team or not." Sarutobi replied, "Moving on, two pieces of good news, both relating to Naruko. She has unlocked Kushina's _**Kongō **__**Fūsa **_and sealed Benihime to herself."

"That is good news!" Inoichi said with a smile.

"Sadly, she cannot use the _**Kongō **__**Fūsa **_for a while as her Chakra Control is lacking." Sarutobi said, "She was only able to use an incomplete form, the _**Kongō Gekisa**_, for a handful of minutes. She estimates that she might be able to use _**Kongō **__**Fūsa **_in two years if she works diligently at her Chakra Control exercises."

"At least she has access to it now." Hiashi put in, "What did Naruko rename Benihime?"

"Himiko." the Sandaime smiled.

"Why that name, I wonder?" Mebuki wondered.

"Do you know the origin of the name 'Himiko'?" Sarutobi asked. At the negative responses, the old Hokage smiled again. " 'Himiko' is a name given to an ancient Queen who once ruled a vast kingdom taking up parts of Hi no Kuni, Yu no Kuni, Shimo no Kuni, Ta no Kuni, Ame no Kuni (Land of Rain) and Ki no Kuni (Land of Trees) before the Warring Clans period. It's a declaration from Naruko that she will become Hokage, as what better position to wield a blade named after a queen. There is an additional reason though."

"Oh?" Tsume invited him to continue.

"Another origin of the name is 'Hiiro no Miko' or 'Fire-Coloured Priestess'." Sarutobi smiled, "It refers to the colour of Queen Himiko's hair…a fiery red colour. Who possessed a similar colour of hair that we know?"

"Kushina…!" Inoichi breathed, "She named the sword after her mother."

"It is such a tragedy that Kushina didn't live to raise her daughter." Mebuki sighed, "She was so looking forward to teaching her children to be Shinobi."

"As long as Naruko is alive, a part of Kushina lives on with her." Sarutobi said, "Naruko knows that, but she named her blade Himiko so she has her mother by her side -in a manner of speaking- always."

After another few minutes of conversation, the four visitors rose to depart.

"Inoichi, Hiashi, stay behind." Sarutobi said, "Anko sent a request regarding your daughters that requires your…approval."

The uncomfortable way Sarutobi said that, coupled with the name 'Mitarashi Anko' immediately set off warning bells in the pair of parents. They regarded the Hokage warily as they retook their seats. Tsume and Mebuki exchanged knowing looks before leaving the room.

"The…request…that Anko sent in is for your daughters to undergo…Injutsu training with her and Naruko." Sarutobi stated bluntly, "In Hinata-chan's case, it is because she has started dating Naruko, and in Ino's case it is because she is weak against Injutsu-based techniques."

Inoichi pinched the bridge of his nose. "I could have gone a great many years to find out about that little fact, Hokage-sama." he said dryly.

"I'm sure." Sarutobi replied, "Nevertheless, Anko is never wrong about this sort of thing. She also states that Ino has developed a crush on Naruko at the same time she has a crush on Sasuke."

"Hinata will not be amused by this." Hiashi said dryly, "She is very like her mother like that. She is quiet…right up until someone moves in on what she perceives as hers. This will be especially the case now she has started dating Naruko at long last."

"I would have thought that you would be…more upset with Hinata.2 Inoichi observed neutrally.

Hiashi shook his head tiredly. "No…ever since that…_foul_ _little cockroach_ from the Kagami Clan laid his hands on her, Hinata has been fearful of all males in her life, even Neji. The likelihood of her ever-becoming more than cautious friends with a male is near to impossible. This was a highly probable eventuality and I came to terms with that fact ever since I picked up on her crush on Naruko."

"…why is it that you had to be so mature about this." Inoichi groused, "Now I can't make a fuss that my little princess is bisexual without looking stupid by comparison."

"That's the idea." Hiashi snorted in amusement as his old friend spluttered indignantly.

"Ahem. So then gentlemen." Sarutobi drew their attention back with a small cough, "What should my reply be to Anko on your behalf?"

The two men exchanged a look of mutual suffering before merely nodding silently.

"Very good." Sarutobi said, "I know this cannot have been an easy decision for you both to have made, but I will tell you that Anko is rarely wrong about these matters. Your daughters are in good hands."

"That's what worries me." Inoichi muttered.

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_Early Evening_

_Forest Clearing, Near Tazuna's House, Nami no Kuni_

Naruko breathed out a long breath as she ran through a mid-level kata of _**Konoha-Ryū **_Kenjutsu with Himiko. She had decided that as soon as she returned to Konoha, she would start learning her Clan's Kenjutsu style. She had neglected it in favour of her _**Ushio-Ken **_Taijutsu style and what had happened? She was faced with a situation where her Kenjutsu skills were sorely lacking.

'_Live and learn._' Naruko told herself. _**Kai**__**ryūjin-Ryū**_ would be a very challenging style to learn, but it would be worth it in the end.

"Nice form." Zabuza drawled as he waltzed into the clearing, his great blade carried easily in one hand, "_**Konoha-Ryū**_, right?"

"Yeah." Naruko nodded as she halted and re-sheathed Himiko, "I haven't learned my Clan's Kenjutsu style yet, so I learned _**Konoha-Ryū**_ to get me by."

"Why'd you not learn it?" Zabuza frowned, "_**Kairyūjin-Ryū **_is one of the most deadly sword styles out there."

Naruko scowled. "I didn't know I was a member of a Clan. There are people in Konoha who wanted to control me, according to Sandaime-jiji anyway, so they erased any trace of my Clan from the histories to make it easier to manipulate me."

"Tch. Guess every Hidden Village has its share of tyrants." the Demon of the Bloody Mist said with a scowl.

"Like Yagura in your own Village?" Naruko asked.

"Yeah. After the Kaguya Revolt, Yagura just went off the deep end one day and started hunting down Clans with Kekkei Genkai." the Nuke-nin said in disgust, "Just about forty percent of Kirigakure's Shinobi Forces were Kekkei Genkai Shinobi and they fought back, causing horrendous casualties…and that was just the first month!"

"How could he do that?" Naruko shook her head in disbelief.

"Wish I knew." Zabuza replied bitterly, "Kirigakure was never a nice place to live in, what with the graduation requirement that you had to kill a fellow Classmate. Still, Yagura turned the place into something I don't recognise as home anymore…"

"So you tried to kill him." Naruko finished, "You do realise that it is almost impossible for a single Shinobi to kill a Jinchūriki in a fair fight?"

"It wasn't anything approaching a fair fight." Zabuza replied, "I snuck up on him using the mist and my _**Muon Satsujin no Jutsu **_to remain undetected. I almost managed to slit his throat and the next thing I know, I'm flying through a wall."

"Isobu, the Sanbi no Kyodaigame, allows the one who controls him to manipulate water as he pleases." Naruko stated, "He probably used the water in the mist as an early warning system. He let you get within striking range, letting you almost taste victory before sending you flying."

"So I never stood a chance to begin with." Zabuza chuckled, "Sadistic bastard of a Mizukage. Anyway, I recovered, grabbed the Demon Brothers and fled. On the way, I found Haku, freezing on a bridge and took her with me."

"Wait, she wasn't a member of Kiri's Shinobi forces?" Naruko asked.

"Nope. I won't tell you her story, but she's had a hard life thanks to Yagura." Zabuza replied as he sank Kubikiribōchō into the ground and leaned on it, "I took her with me, trained her and gave her a purpose in life…to be my tool."

"People aren't tools." Naruko said disapprovingly.

"I know." the Nuke-nin sighed, "The Shinobi Rules are ideals of what we should be, but Shinobi are human, so we always fall short of that ideal. Even me."

Seeing Zabuza's face darken and look pensive, a revelation struck Naruko like a thunderbolt.

"You care for Haku-nee." Naruko voiced her suspicion, "You see her as a daughter."

Zabuza jerked his head around to look at her in shock. "How the _hell_ did you come to _that_ conclusion?!" he asked.

"Your mention of yourself and the Shinobi Rules of Conduct combined with your tense body language and what I could see of your facial expression." Naruko replied, "Anko-sensei has taught me a little about reading people."

"I was read by a Genin…urgh." Zabuza shook his head in disgust, "The other Swordsmen would be laughing like hyenas right now if they knew."

"Meh." Naruko shrugged, "They don't know so you don't have to worry."

"Point." Zabuza nodded, "Anyway…enough chitchat. We have something important to discuss."

"We do." Naruko agreed. She drew Himiko and drove it into the ground opposite Kubikiribōchō before crossing her arms and looking at Zabuza with steel in her eyes.

"The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist led the Kirigakure contingent during the attack on Uzushiogakure." she stated bluntly, "A surprise attack against a Hidden Village that had done nothing to elicit such a thing. A debt of blood is owed. Do you acknowledge this debt, wielder of the Seversword?"

"I am Momochi Zabuza, wielder of the Treasure Blade Kubikiribōchō, the Seversword, and I acknowledge that a debt of blood exists due to the actions of my predecessor." Zabuza stated formally.

"Very good." Naruko nodded, "My mother knew about the role your predecessor and fellow Swordsmen played in Uzu's destruction, but merely contented herself with defeating and humiliating them. She was too emotional to deal with you all properly, and then the Bloodline Purges began after the war, swiftly followed by almost all of you Seven Swordsmen abandoning Kiri like rats from a sinking ship. She felt that it was a just punishment and decided not to interfere. That means it is up yo me to resolve the debt between the Seven and the Uzumaki."

"What would you ask of me?" Zabuza asked.

"That…is a good question." Naruko sighed, "On one hand, I'm supposed to treat you like your predecessor. On the other hand, you are not him. I do not want to ask for something that is unfair. Let me see…"

The Uzumaki Heiress stared into space for a moment before shrugging. "I have an idea, but first…are you tired of dragging Haku-nee all around the Elemental Nations?"

"I am." Zabuza sighed, "The last couple of years, we've almost been caught by Oinin twice. It was during the second encounter that Haku took the Oinin mask from one that she defeated. It was a close fight and I was this close to ending it a couple of times, but she managed without my help. Still, I would like to get away from the constant looking over my shoulder for them. Why?"

"I could demand your service for a lifetime as compensation for what the Seven did to Uzu and the Uzumaki." Naruko said.

"Service to whom?" Zabuza demanded, "You? Konoha?"

"To the Uzumaki Clan as a whole." Naruko replied, "Although since I am the sole member of the Uzumaki Clan, it is merely a legal difference, but a vital one."

"How so?" Zabuza asked.

"Say I put you in service to me, Uzumaki Naruko, Genin of Konohagakure. The Council will be able to demand I turn you and Haku over to them and I would have no choice but to comply." Naruko explained, "If, however, you are in service to the Uzumaki Clan, not me, the Council can demand all they like, but you and Haku will be safe."

"Why is that?" Zabuza asked with a frown, "Aren't the Uzumaki a Konoha Clan?"

"As a matter of fact, no." Naruko replied with a grin, "Kaa-san deliberately didn't register herself as one in order to protect herself from the Clan Restoration Act. The Uzumaki Clan's Treaty with Konoha states that it is in force as long as one Uzumaki remains alive, so I am officially the Ambassador of the Uzumaki and any retainers or spoils I have receive the same diplomatic immunity that I have."

"And…the Council just let you be?" Zabuza asked sceptically.

"They don't know about it yet." Naruko admitted, "I only got the Hokage to acknowledge my Ambassadorial status about a week ago. The Council, to the best of my knowledge, is totally unaware of it. I was hoping that it would lie fallow for a while, but if you accept my demand, I will use it to teach the Civilians not to mess with me and mine."

"You'd just sit back and accept a Nuke-nin as a retainer?" the older Shinobi asked sceptically.

"No, I'd ask for Haku as a hostage for your good behaviour." Naruko replied, "If I didn't, the Hokage would be forced to take you into protective custody."

Zabuza glared at Naruko. "You'd take Haku as a hostage? Do tell how."

"A Spoil Collar and Bangles." Naruko said bluntly, "Uzushiogakure made them to keep potentially hostile Shinobi in line once captured. Once she has them on, I can track her no matter where she goes. Only the one who puts them on can take them off and I can regulate how much chakra she has access to, if at all."

"And if I did something against you?" Zabuza asked dangerously.

"Then I'd talk with you." Naruko replied flatly, "I respect Haku-nee too much to abuse any position over her like that. Besides, Fūinjutsu that creates pain to the bearer are classed as Juinjutsu in the Uzumaki Lexicon and are thus illegal for us to create. The Collar and Bangles can, at the very most, immobilise the wearer by binding them with a pale mimicry of the Uzumaki _**Kongō **__**Fūsa**_."

Naruko looked around and grinned before raising her voice. "How does that sound, Haku-nee-chan?"

In a swirl of leaves, Haku appeared, her brown soulful eyes locked on Naruko intently. "How did you know that I was here?"

"Zabuza wouldn't come and discuss the future of his foster daughter without you being present." she replied with a shrug, "And as you didn't show up with him, I recalled your little deception that you pulled with Team 7 before they arrived in Nami no Kuni proper and concluded that you were nearby, concealed in the trees like you were then."

"…you are far wiser than you seem." Haku said after a moment.

"People underestimate me all the time." Naruko grinned slyly, "I'm more than just pretty, Y'know. Now that you're here though…what do you think of what I've said so far?"

The Last of the Yuki Clan paused for a moment in thought before asking, "What is the Clan Restoration Act?"

Naruko grimaced. "An evil little law enacted by the Nidaime Hokage. It permit's the last male member of a Clan to marry multiple women in order to repopulate their Clan. With women, it turns them into breeding sows. It _can_ be forced on women, but it can only be activated if a woman is capable of carrying a child to term. I cannot as I have an injury and my womb is full of poison as well. What about you?"

"It would be applicable to me." Haku said in disgust, "Is the Spoil Collar the only way to prevent me from being…reduced to that?"

"It is the most secure." Naruko replied carefully, "As you are not an officially trained kunoichi, quite a few options are closed to you. Konoha is obsessed with Kekkei Genkai and would practically salivate at the possibility of having a Clan of Hyōton users. As a Spoil, you wouldn't be a kunoichi; you'd be property, which would prevent the act being used against you."

"Why would you offer this for Zabuza-sama and me?" Haku asked, "Your Clan was destroyed by Kirigakure. You have no reason to show mercy to us like you are."

"I am not a particularly vengeful person." Naruko replied quietly, "Kaa-san beat the shit out of all seven of the Seven Swordsmen and considered that to be enough. I take after her. Besides…you and I are very similar. Hunted for something that isn't our fault, which we cannot control."

Haku looked confused, but Zabuza's eyes narrowed.

"The Kyūbi killed your mother." he stated slowly, "You are the last of your Clan, which should make people try and suck up to you. Instead, you say you and Haku are similar…as Konoha loves Kekkei Genkai; there are only two things this could mean. First, your Clan did something to make Konoha hate them, which is stupid considering how much the Uzumaki are said to have helped Konoha before they were destroyed.

This leaves one option. You're the Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi no Kitsune…aren't you?"

Naruko stared at Zabuza for a moment. "You figured that out just from what I said?!" she asked incredulously.

"Jinchūriki are treated the same no matter where you go." Zabuza replied, "Even Kumogakure is wary of their two Jinchūriki, despite their stance that they are Kumogakure's 'Guardians'. Yagura is a paranoid tyrant and _was_ a hero, but before that, he was feared and ostracised like every other Jinchūriki."

"Unless it isn't known that the Jinchūriki exists in the first place." Naruko corrected him, "Uzumaki Mito and my mother were the previous Jinchūriki of the Kyūbi and no one knew about it except for a few higher-ranking people in the Shinobi Forces."

"So wait…how did the Kyūbi go nuts and attack Konoha?" Zabuza asked with narrowed eyes.

"There are two different kinds of Jinchūriki; pure containers and true Jinchūriki." Naruko replied, "Mito-baa-chan and Kaa-san were pure containers. They never so much as touched the Kyūbi's chakra. On the night I was born, the same day as the attack, someone claiming to be Uchiha Madara broke in and ripped the Kyūbi from my mother. The Yondaime resealed the Fox inside me at the cost of his life. That is one reason why I would like for you to accept my offer. I need help to defend myself against someone who was able to kill two teams of ANBU without taking a scratch. Protect me and I'll protect you both."

"That seems like a tall order." Zabuza said dubiously.

"I'm going to protect myself as well." Naruko said with a sigh, "But I am only a Genin right now; I can barely manage to survive against High-Chunin opponents. I escaped death on my last mission by the skin of my teeth several times. Worse, my friends almost died. I lost my mother before I even knew her; I will not lose my friends if I can help it."

'_She knows…she knows the pain of loneliness as well as I do_' Haku thought as she remembered the painful days before Zabuza had found her, when she had struggles to live after the murder of her mother by her father and Haku's own sin of slaying him in self defence.

"What do you think Haku?" Zabuza asked.

"She is sincere." she replied, "Her chakra has not fluctuated, meaning either she is a masterful liar or she is being absolutely truthful. I believe she is the latter."

"You do think the best of people, Haku." Zabuza sighed. He thought for a moment before nodding slowly.

"I accept your offer, contingent on your word that you will treat Haku with respect and you do your damn best o protect her from the CRA." he said finally.

"I do so give my word that I shall honour that request." Naruko replied formally, placing her hand on the hilt of Himiko, "That I swear on the Honour Blade of the Uzumaki."

"In which case…how shall we do this?" Zabuza asked.

"We'll ask Kakashi-sensei and Kurenai-sensei to witness the oath and signing of the contract." the Uzumaki Heiress sighed, "I can also have the Collar and Bangles inscribed by tomorrow, so we'll do everything then."

"You have them already?" Haku asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Any old strip of leather will do for the collar, at least temporarily, and bangles are available at almost any marketplace." Naruko shrugged, "The tricky part is using acid to etch the fūinshiki onto the bangles and collar. I tried to buy some from the market and got given as many as I wanted. I am popular here for helping to overthrow Gatō, apparently. I have about a hundred Shadow Clones working on etching with acid right now."

"Tch. Civilians." Zabuza grunted as he pulled Kubikiribōchō out of the ground, cleared the dirt off of the blade with a flare of his chakra and sheathed the massive sword over his shoulder, "Enjoy it while you can, kid. It doesn't last forever."

He nonchalantly walked away before the last part of what Naruko said caught up to him.

"Did you say a _hundred_ Shadow Clones?"

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: The Great Uzumaki Bridge**

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	25. The Great Uzumaki Bridge

**Author's Note: Yo. Sorry for the delay. Shit happened. Go figure.**

**As I type this, I haven't slept for about a day. Having insomnia sucks. As soon as I upload this, I'm off to bed.**

**There will be more lemony goodness in two chapters' time, so keep patient 'till then.**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 25: The Great Uzumaki Bridge**

Once Zabuza reattached his jaw from Naruto explaining her unsurpassed skill with the _**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_, the three headed back to Tazuna's home in a companionable silence.

"Naruko-san, may I enquire something about your sword?" Haku asked politely about halfway there.

"Sure, Haku-nee-chan." the redhead, "What do you want to know?"

"It was my understanding that the sword you bear is called 'Benihime', yet you refer to it now as 'Himiko'." Haku stated, "Why is that?"

"Because I took a life with her." Naruko replied solemnly, "Whenever the Uzumaki Honour Blade is passed on from Clan Head to Clan Heir, the special Fūinjutsu that is a part of the blade activates, deactivating the defences that prevent any but the user from wielding it. Its name is wiped clean and the new wielder must rename it the next time a life is taken with it."

"Defences?" Zabuza asked with a curious lilt in his voice.

"It sends a massive electrical shock into an unworthy person's _tenketsu_ of anyone who touches the handle other than me as long as I am still alive." Naruko replied with a grin, "Himiko can only be wielded by me."

"Damn. I see what you mean about the defences on that spear being just like your sword, only better." Zabuza whistled. That was one hell of a paranoid defence mechanism for a sword. "Does it have any special characteristics or abilities?"

"Just one, aside from being able to cut just about anything." Naruko replied, "It has the ability to neutralise any jutsu of the elemental weakness of my primary affinity and absorb the chakra that makes it up as long as it comes in contact with the blade, adding it to my reserves. It only works on lower-ranked jutsu, at most Low-C-Rank ones, but it does help out, at least according to Kaa-san's journal."

"You're an Uzumaki, so you must be either a Primary Wind or Water." Zabuza stated, "So Fire or Lightning?"

"Fire." the Uzumaki Heiress replied, "My Primary Affinity is Wind, so weak Katon Jutsu are going to be ineffective against me while I have."

"Useful." Haku remarked, "My own Hyōton mixes Water and Wind chakra, but I know no Fūton jutsu myself."

"Seriously? I know Kirigakure and Mizu no Kuni mostly focus on Suiton Ninjutsu, but you don't know _any_ Fūton jutsu?!" Naruko asked in disbelief.

"Fūton's a rare affinity, kid." Zabuza replied gruffly, "Jutsu Scrolls for it are even rarer outside of a few Clans and Sunagakure. I don't know any of 'em and being Nuke-nin, I couldn't just walk up to a shinobi and ask for any Fūton Jutsu scrolls he had spare."

"Well that's one thing we'll have to fix." Naruko huffed, "I can teach you one if you'd like, Haku-nee."

"I would appreciate that." the Last of the Yuki Clan replied with a smile, "What jutsu is it that you'd like to teach me?"

"_**Fūton: Reppūshō.**_" Naruko stated, "It's a good one to start off with because it suits your combat style. Watch."

Drawing a kunai, she threw it at a tree, embedding about a third of the blade into the wood. Drawing another one, the redhead threw it and then clapped once, invoking the name of the jutsu as she did so, sending a large gale in the same direction as the weapon, speeding it up significantly. This time, the kunai was embedded right up to the hilt in the tree.

"You see? Combine this jutsu with your Shurikenjutsu skills and you'll kick ass in a fight, despite how basic it is." Naruko said with a grin.

"Yeah, that looks like it would work well." Zabuza agreed, "Problem is, Haku hates hurting people. She won't learn something if it can only be used to kill someone."

"Ah? Well, the _**Reppūshō **_isn't a direct attacking Jutsu." Naruko turned to look at Haku, "If used as such, it could, at most, knock a man over onto his butt."

"Oh…that sounds alright." Haku said with a nod. She was glad that this jutsu was not an overtly harmful one.

"Y'know Haku, you are going to have to get over this aversion to hurting people at some point." Zabuza told his apprentice-slash-foster daughter firmly, "It'll get you killed someday."

"I cannot help it." the girl replied, "The thought of causing more harm than is necessary in any given situation is nauseating to me."

"Haku-nee, you sure are gentle." Naruko smiled, "I think it's a good thing; a shinobi doesn't kill without being paid or unless in self-defence, so why risk it if you can disable them?"

"Holding back didn't do Haku much good against that freak with the Juinjutsu." Zabuza pointed out, "If you hadn't unlocked your Clan Jutsu when you did, that bastard would have at least badly wounded everyone before we took him down, probably would have killed at least a couple of the genin."

Naruko had to flinch at this. Haku put a comforting hand on her shoulder as she replied, "True Zabuza-sama, but I doubt any of my Hyōton Ninjutsu, not even my _**Hissatsu **__**Hyōsō**_ no Jutsu, could have come anywhere close to being effective against him. You saw how easily he defended against my _**Makyō Hyōshō**_, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Never thought I'd ever see someone just walk away from _that_ attack without a scratch." the Swordsman shook his head in disbelief as he recalled that phenomenon, "That Juinjutsu gave him such a power boost that it wasn't fair, even for shinobi."

Naruko snorted. "It would be more impressive if the thing didn't have a nine out of ten fatality rate because it's so poorly made. Honestly, I could slap something like that together easily if it wasn't against the Uzumaki Clan laws."

"I don't know much about the Clan Laws of the Uzumaki." Zabuza admitted, "Why is it against the rules to create Juinjutsu?"

"Not Juinjutsu specifically, Juinjutsu that can kill the person who bears it." Naruko corrected him, "As well as any Fūinjutsu that can be used to twist the mind of anyone who has it applied to them or even Fūinjutsu that leaves the body of the one who bears it a puppet. We Uzumaki prevented the abuse of the art of Fūinjutsu before our destruction and hunted down Clans who tried to do so."

"So, the Hyūga's _**Sōke**__** no Juinjutsu **_would fall under that aegis then?" Haku asked with a frown. She had heard the details from Hinata and hated the idea of such a thing.

"Ordinarily, yes." Naruko replied with a frown, "But they were very insular and secretive before joining Konoha, so by the time we found out about the _**Hyūga **__**Sōke**__** no Juinjutsu**_, they had already joined Konoha and we had signed the Alliance Treaty with Konoha. Nothing we could do about it."

The frown on her face deepened as she considered the Caged Bird Seal. A Seal that protected the secrets of the Byakugan, whether the bearer was alive or dead, caused pain at the infusion of chakra via a specific handsign **and** caused instant death with another specific handsign. The only Clan in existence that possessed the skill to create such a complex Fūinjutsu was her Clan, the Uzumaki Clan.

Naruko resolved to investigate her Clan's records when she got home to Konoha. There were more than a few troubling things that had cropped up on her first trip out of the village and she really needed to start investigating them.

"So then!" she clapped her hands, "Want to start learning the jutsu?"

_Two Hours later_

_Team 8's Room, Tazuna's House_

"Ino-chan?"

The blond girl looked up at the voice of her friend. "Oh, hey Hinata. What's up?"

Ino had been maintaining her new sword with a whetstone and oil she had bought in the village…at least, she'd tried to buy it, but the shopkeeper had given it to her, free of charge, for her part in defeating Gatō.

"Can we talk?" Hinata asked steadily. The Hyūga Heiress' pale lavender eyes were serious and focused on Ino's own blue eyes. The Yamanaka Heiress had a feeling she knew exactly what Hinata wanted to talk about.

"Sure, just give me a second to finish up with this." she answered and set about finishing off her current task. The ninjatō wasn't in bad shape, but its previous owner had not polished or sharpened it in a good long while, so it had been less of a combat weapon and more of an oversized, dirty butter knife.

"I've been thinking about weapons myself." Hinata remarked as she watched Ino, "I've come to the conclusion that either I shouldn't use weapons, or it should be one that is flexible to use and can be adapted to different situations."

"What were you thinking of?" Ino asked as she slid her sword into its sheath.

"A Kusarigama." came the reply, "If I save up and buy a chakra metal one, I can perhaps use my _**Jūho**_ through it, increasing my attacks from short-range to mid-range."

Ino considered this for a moment. Presuming Hinata did get a Kusarigama, one that was made partly or wholly of chakra metal, and that she found and adapted a style to fit her _**Jūho**_…the thought made her shiver in slight fear.

"If you do manage to do that, you'll be really scary." Ino said aloud, "And I don't really think you'll need to save up for one. With the money we're going to get for an A-Rank Mission, an S-Rank Mission and all of the bounties on the mercs and bandits, you'll be able to have one custom made to order, easily. Now, what is it you need to talk about?"

"Naruko-chan." Hinata said firmly.

"Thought so." Ino sighed, "Look, I wouldn't do this if Anko-sensei didn't make a good point about what would happen if I was captured. I'd be made a playtoy in less time than it would take to cook rice."

"I know." Hinata replied, "Still, you are going to be sleeping with my girlfriend…at the same time as you still have that crush on Uchiha Sasuke."

"I know." Ino groaned, "How can I be so fickle as to like two people at the same time?! Am I a slut or something?"

"You aren't." her friend assured her, "I will say this though; eventually, you're going to have to grow out of at least one of those crushes. If it's Naruko-chan, all the better for me. I get her to myself again. But if it's Sasuke…well, we'll have to set some rules down for that."

"Wh…what do you mean?" Ino asked nervously.

"Do you really think that Naruko-chan would reject you if you confessed to her?" Naruko's girlfriend asked pointedly, "She'd be confused and worried because she's currently dating me. Likely, she'd then fly into a panic about it and angst and agonise over what to do."

"Why would she worry about it?" Ino asked in confusion, "If she's dating you, then saying 'I appreciate your feelings, but I'm not single' is a no-brainer reply."

"Ah, but Naruko likes you." Hinata replied with a smile, "She loves how graceful you are and she thinks the way you tend to flowers is cute. I wouldn't sat it's a crush, but it's definitely more than what someone feels for someone as a friend."

Ino felt her heartbeat speed up slightly at hearing this. Naruko thought she was graceful. Naruko thought she was cute.

"If -and this is a big if- I do confess to her, despite the fact that I don't want to get in between you and her, what rules are you laying down?" Ino asked. She was telling the truth that she never wanted to interfere with her friends' relationship, so why Hinata was making plans for if she did do something as if it was inevitable?

"I am Naruko-chan's girlfriend." Hinata stated, "You cannot do anything with her that I have not done with her. Understood?"

"Sheath your claws, tigress." Ino said with a frown, "Me crushing on your girlfriend is seriously worrying you, isn't it?"

Hinata flinched from the rhetorical question. "Well…Ino-chan, you're so pretty…and confident…and outgoing…you could easily steal her from me if you really wanted to." she mumbled as she pressed her forefingers together.

This almost made the blond girl laugh. The belief in the words Hinata spoke however prevented her from doing so.

"Silly girl." Ino said softly as she got up and drew the bluenette into ha gentle hug, "Do you really think Naruko-chan is someone who would cast you aside because I flirted with her a bit and shook this fine bod of mine at her? Really?"

"Well…no…" Hinata replied softly, "But-"

"But nothing." Ino told her firmly, "First, she's been taught Injutsu by Anko-sensei. She's very resilient to that kind of thing now, not to mention the fact she's a little dense about when people have a crush on her. Remember?"

The bluenette flushed at the reference to how Naruko had, until recently, been completely unaware of Hinata's rather blatant feelings towards her.

"Secondly, she's a loyal person." Ino continued, "She wouldn't betray yo like that. Finally, I think that by the time she finishes putting us through Injutsu training, we won't very well be able to say no to her anyway…not that you would in the first place, but still."

Hinata flushed as she asked, "Ano…what do you mean by that?"

"Anko-sensei told me that I'm submissive in bed." Ino replied frankly, "She also told me earlier on today that you are too. Naruko-chan can be submissive, but she prefers to be assertive, even dominant, in bed. Could you really refuse her if she asked you to experiment in bed? She pinned me to the wall in the bath earlier today, felt me up and blatantly offered me the choice of either giving her my first kiss then and there or waiting till we were back in the village."

Hinata flushed as she remembered her own first kiss with Naruko and made an educated guess. "You said then and there, didn't you?"

"Like I was going to let _that_ chance go!" Ino replied with a smirk, "She is one hell of a good kisser, isn't she?"

Both the girls' eyes went a little distant as they remembered their kisses with their mutual crush, Hinata more so than Ino due to the amount of 'exploring' she and Naruko had done in the past few days. Nothing more than hands over the clothes as of yet, but the Hyūga Heiress knew that, within a couple of days at most of being back in Konoha, she and Naruko would be in bed together.

Forcing her mind away from the rather detailed images her overactive imagination was conjuring up, Hinata saw a knowing look on Ino's face, making her blush double in intensity.

"I agree to your terms by the way." Ino said with a smirk, "Just don't keep me waiting too long, OK?"

"H-Hai." Hinata nodded. It was a fair request, and goodness knows that after her kissing sessions with Naruko, Hinata had had to change her panties on more than a couple of occasions, so she could understand Ino's feelings on the matter.

"Well, now that that's out of the way, feel up to a spar?" Ino asked brightly.

"Sure." Hinata replied, "I've been wanting to see how well your _**Hanabira no Mai **_works against my _**Jūho**_."

"Don't expect anything too great." Ino warned her as they out of the room and down the stairs, "I've only been learning it for just over a week now. It's odd though…Naruko-chan was right; it fits me like a glove."

"She wanted to find one that did just that, so she probably spent quite a lot of time watching you and narrowing down the choices until she found it." Hinata mused, "She really cares about you. I'm almost jealous. She hasn't given me anything from the Uzu Archive."

"Just give it time. You'll get something for your birthday I would think." Ino counselled her, "Not to mention New Years and your Anniversary, eh?"

This made Hinata brighten up a bit, making Ino giggle in amusement.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_Same Time_

_Hokage's Office, Konohagakure no Sato_

"I see you found it then." Sarutobi noted as he stared at Jiraya entering his office. The Toad Sage carried a black scroll under one arm. It was about half the size of the Toad Contract and had golden spirals dotted all over its surface.

"Yeah, and it wasn't easy to find either." Jiraya grumbled, "Kushina did let me have access, but I had to write in answers to a bunch of different questions… 'was Minato alive, was she dead, what age was Naruko', stuff like that. It took forever! Paranoid Tomato…"

"If she was still alive, Kushina-chan would turn _you_ into a squashed tomato yourself for saying that." Hiruzen stated firmly, wincing as he recalled Kushina's favourite Taijutsu beat down combo, the _**Akai Chishio no Habanero (Red-Hot Habanero)**_, which only one man had ever broken…one Namikaze Minato.

Jiraya had paled at the thought and was hurriedly praying an apology to Kushina. A rather sensible course of action in his opinion.

"Ahem…anyway, I opened the safe and found the scroll." Jiraya hurriedly continued as he finished appeasing the spirit of one of the scariest Kunoichi he had ever met aside from his teammate, Tsunade.

"Was there anything else in there?" the Hokage asked curiously.

"Was there ever!" Jiraya leaned forwards excitedly, "There were scrolls full of her own notes on Fūinjutsu, especially the removal of especially powerful _**Juinjutsu**_! This must have been what she was working on while she was pregnant with Naruko! She mentioned several of her Clan's special seals that I don't have access to, but applying the theory of what she had written out to what work I've done in the last twelve years could make a breakthrough with Anko's damn _**Ten no Juin**_!"

"While that is good news, you will have to ask Naruko-chan for permission to use her mother's notes." Sarutobi told him, "Although it is highly unlikely she'll say no, given her relationship with Anko-chan, you do have to ask for permission first."

"Got it. Clan secrets and all that." Jiraya nodded, "I'll leave the Crow Contract with you, sensei."

"Ah, thank you." the Hokage stood up and carefully placed the precious scroll into the same safe that Naruko's inheritance from Minato was stored in.

"What did you do with Kushina-chan's research?" Sarutobi asked pointedly. The self-proclaimed 'Super Pervert' sighed and handed over a single standard-sized scroll to be put in the safe as well.

"How's Naruko-chan doing at that reinforcement mission to Nami no Kuni?" Jiraya asked after a moment.

"Ah, well, that's quite the interesting story." Sarutobi replied with a grin before he launched into the same tale he had told the parents of the other genin earlier that day.

"Whew…she has Kushina's luck for certain." Jiraya whistled, "I hope they bring back the corpse of the Hachidoro Kaen guy. I could find something in it of use."

"Sadly, his body and head disintegrated not long after his death." Sarutobi told him, "Some sort of automatic version of _**Ninpō: Shitai Datsuri no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Corpse Elimination Jutsu)**_, I suspect, or a Fūinjutsu that accomplished the same thing."

"Tch. Orochimaru always was careful with his failed experiments." Jiraya grunted in dissatisfaction, "He uses them as disposable soldiers, but makes certain that nobody can gain a hint of whatever it was he was researching. Looks like that part of him hasn't changed in the slightest."

"Indeed." the former sensei of Team Sarutobi, later known as the Densetsu no Sannin, sighed, "What do you make of Kurenai-kun's supposition that he's basing his creations off of the Rikudō?"

"Sounds like a likely theory for his more powerful ones." Jiraya replied thoughtfully, "With weaker ones, I doubt he would bother with an overall theme, unless he uses them to test different additions to his stronger ones."

"Hmmm." Sarutobi nodded, "Oh, by the way, Naruko-chan had decided on what to do about Zabuza and his apprentice. It's a rather wily plan, if I do say so."

"Oh?" Jiraya asked curiously.

"Yes. She just sent me a message via summon not an hour ago." Sarutobi said in amusement, "She's invoked the Debt of Blood owed to the Uzumaki Clan by the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist for their unprovoked attack on Uzushiogakure, claiming Zabuza's service for life in the name of the Uzumaki Clan."

"Ha! Danzō's going to be frothing at the mouth that he can't legally do a damn thing to Zabuza!" Jiraya chortled, and then looked concerned, "Wait, what about the Yuki girl? That old cripple will have her breeding brats for Ne for the rest of her life if nothing is done to protect her."

"Calm down, Jiraya-kun." the Hokage chuckled, "This is where Danzō will have to give Naruko-chan some credit for cunning. She's taking Yuki Haku as a Spoil of War, ostensibly as surety against Zabuza going back on his word. In reality, she's taking Haku as a Spoil to protect her. If all goes well, Naruko-chan will free Haku after a number of years as a 'reward for his continued loyalty' and no one will be any the wiser."

"Remind me not to play poker with her." Jiraya laughed, "I thought you said she sucked at politics?"

"It's just a question of presenting a problem to her as a prank." the old man replied with a small smirk, "She's rather inventive in that regard as you might recall. Several people have called her 'Konoha's Prankster Queen' for several years now."

"Didn't she prank the Hyūga Clan a few years back?" Jiraya pondered, "She replaced the underwear of all adult members of the Main and Branch families with pink thongs, if I recall correctly."

"That was quite the shock for the Hyūga." Sarutobi remarked, "That made the second time in less than a decade that their compound had been successfully infiltrated, though the consequences were embarrassing rather than deadly like the first time."

"True that." Jiraya nodded, "Well then Sensei, if that's everything, I have research to do!"

The lecherous grin on his face made it all to clear that he wasn't talking about Fūinjutsu.

"Before you go Jiraya-kun, I have a mission for you." Sarutobi said seriously.

"Can't it wait until after I have beheld the lovely ladies?" the white-haired man complained half-heartedly as he sat down.

"No, it cannot." the Hokage said firmly, "This is your mission; you are to find Senju Tsunade and her apprentice and bring them back to the village by any means necessary."

Jiraya went pale at this. "S-sensei, are you trying to get me killed?!" he yelped, "Tsunade-hime isn't someone you can just force to go anywhere she doesn't want to go!"

"Ah, but I have been giving this a lot of thought in recent months." Sarutobi replied with a grin as he pulled a scroll from a drawer, "If you use this plan, she will be here before she can blink thrice."

The Toad Sage took the scroll, flicked it open and started to read it. The more he read, the higher up his eyebrows rose in wonder and disbelief.

"Sensei, this plan…if we do use it, both Tsunade AND Katsuyu-sama are going to be angry with the pair of us." Jiraya said once he finished reading it.

"It cannot be helped." Sarutobi said implacably, "I have given Tsunade over twenty years to grieve and it has done little else but drain the Senju Accounts constantly, year after year. It is fortunate that I specifically prohibited her from accessing the Uzumaki and Uzushiogakure accounts; otherwise, she would have emptied them as well. The time for her to act her age rather than her shoe size is now…whether she wants to or not."

Jiraya gulped and made a mental note to NOT make his old sensei get serious with him.

"The Chunin Exams begin in a little over three weeks from now." Sarutobi continued, "The Second Stage ends six days after that. I want Tsunade here by then. That gives you about a month to execute this plan. Can you do this, Jiraya-kun?"

The Toad Sage chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Sensei, I can find Tsunade in that time. I can find her whenever I want to thanks to my network. No, the bigger problem is persuading 'Bunta, Kashira and Nee-san to do this. You know they hate interfering with the Summoners of other Summons."

"I will rely on your persuasion skills being up to the task." Sarutobi replied stoically, "Enma has already consented, so that might lend you some leeway with them."

"That'll help." Jiraya admitted. The Monkey King was well respected by all Summons, even the leader of the Snake Clan, Manda, respected him, albeit begrudgingly. If he approved of something, then even Gamabunta would at least hear Jiraya out when he proposed this plan.

"Well then, Jiraya-kun. I look forward to your success." Sarutobi said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Jiraya grumbled. He knew that his sensei had a point. Tsunade was too far gone in her grief to listen to reason. He wondered if she even knew that Naruko was alive, or if she had assumed she had died when the Kyūbi went on a rampage. Tsunade had always been one to hold family close to her heart. It was why losing all those she loved had wreaked such havoc on her, to the point of suffering haemophobia.

He had wished for years to be able to do something about her descent into drunkenness and nigh-obsessive gambling, but had been unable to think of anything. Now though….now he could and would help her, as the old Tsunade would have wanted.

It was one of the few things he had left.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_Later in the Afternoon_

_Tazuna's House_

"Naruko…did I just hear you right?" Kurenai asked in a deceptively calm voice, "You're going to _enslave_ Haku-san?"

"In order to _protect _her, yes." Naruko replied, utterly unconcerned by the Genjutsu Mistress' ire, "Unless you WANT the Council to vote to turn her into a breeding sow."

The two of them, plus Kakashi, were in Team 7's room, which stank of fish. The raven-haired Jonin was glaring slightly at her Genin, who had been one hell of a discipline problem on this mission. Naruko was standing with her arms crossed and merely gazing back at Kurenai firmly.

"There is surely something less…_extreme_ that can be done." Kurenai replied, flinching at the term 'breeding sow.'

"I've looked at Konoha's Clan Laws in detail, Kurenai-sensei." Naruko replied, "Doing anything else would put it off for a couple of months, but she'd be barefoot and pregnant very soon afterwards. This allows me to track her, guard her and retaliate to any kidnapping attempts with deadly force."

"She's right, Kurenai." Kakashi put in lazily. The silver-haired man was leaning against the was doing a chakra control exercise involving balancing a kunai on its in midair. He STILL hadn't gotten his books back from Anko. "The Clan Laws are not very fair in this regard in Konoha, because they are all designed to keep the Clans that have Kekkei Genkai at full capacity, and repopulate the ones in danger of being wiped out as fast as possible."

"In which case, why is Uchiha Sasuke not knocking up girls left and right using the CRA as an excuse?" Kurenai asked coldly.

"Because in the case of males, the Act cannot be forced on them until they are of Chunin rank." Naruko answered, "Females have to have had their first bleeding and be at least fourteen or fifteen, no regard given to shinobi rank. Haku-nee is seventeen. You do the maths."

Kurenai scowled at that. The age requirement was probably only put in so that the girls didn't die of their first pregnancy. Really, the Nidaime must have been a ruthless bastard to have instituted such a draconian rule.

"So the request you have for us is to sign off on the contract as witnesses tomorrow?" Kakashi guessed. It made sense. While acting as the Uzu Ambassador, Naruko could formally request such a thing of 'allied' shinobi like he and Kurenai. They really had little in the way of choice here.

Kurenai, however, was a problem. She had little understanding of Clans and still had a largely civilian outlook on shinobi practices, as evidenced by her other nickname, 'The Ice Queen of Konoha', making this entire thing all the more tedious.

"That's it." Naruko confirmed, "I could ask Anko-chan-sensei, but you know how the civs in Konoha feel about her."

The two Jonin nodded grimly, knowing that Anko's apprenticeship under the White Snake put her almost as low as they saw Naruko for containing the Kyūbi. They were willing to bet that all kinds of delays in the process would crop up if her name appeared on the witness section of the Spoil of War Appropriation Form.

"We'll do it." Kakashi nodded, "Make sure the Spoil Collar and Bracelets are all fully functional though."

"They will be…by Uzushiogakure standards." Naruko replied with a grin, "They won't be permanent though, as they don't have the right kind of collar or bracelets in Nami."

"…there are actually rules about what kind of collar you put on them?" Kurenai asked flatly.

"Yup. A leather collar, the one I'm preparing now, is only good until we get the proper kind of metal collar ready." Naruko explained, "Not just any metal collar either. It has to be resilient enough not to be broken off by a shinobi, at least three centimetres thick and an inch wide. It also has to have my Clan symbol displayed prominently."

"The Spoils of War Act should be modified so this barbaric rule isn't allowed." Kurenai muttered darkly.

"Ask Ji-chan why that would be a bad idea." Naruko told her dryly, "You'll be shocked at the answer."

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_Four Days Later_

_Unnamed Bridge, Nami no Kuni Side_

In the end, the signing of the act had been put off until just before the bridge was completed, due to Naruko needing more time to make the collar. The bracelets and anklets were easy, but the collar took some doing due to the lack of decent leather.

With poor quality leather, completing the final section of Fūinjutsu on it shredded the whole thing to pieces. Some never even made it halfway through the process.

"Man, that darn collar was harder to do than fighting Hachidoro Kaen!" Naruko grumbled as she walked to the bridge accompanied by her team, Haku and Zabuza.

"At least you finished it, Mistress." Haku said with a smile as she admired her new bracelets. With the Fūinshiki glowing in red on them, they looked rather attractive in her own opinion. More of a fashion accessory than a shackle in her own opinion.

The collar was rather tasteful as well. Soft, supple, high-quality leather, marked with the Uzumaki Spiral in the centre of her throat.

"Haku-nee, you don't have to call me that when no one else is around you know." Naruko said with a light blush. The whole 'Mistress' thing was reminding her of Ringo and Rinka, and it wasn't like she hadn't noticed how attractive Haku was, especially since she had started wearing more feminine clothing.

"Don't bother protesting, kid." Zabuza advised her dryly, "Once she decides to call you something, she sticks with it to the bitter end."

"Unlike you though Zabuza-san, I can set the uniform she wears as a Spoil." Naruko grinned evilly, "How does a tank top and short shorts sound?"

Haku paled at that threat. Yes, she had been wearing clothing that is more feminine since being collared, but conservative feminine clothing. The thought of walking around dressed like that made her flush bright red.

"…would 'Naruko-sama' be more to your liking?" she asked hopefully, "You are my owner now, so I do have to be respectful."

"That's fine." Naruko nodded, "By the way, where's Sasuke-teme, Kiba, Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei?"

"They're finishing up some last minute training." Anko replied with a roll of her eyes, "Evidently the broody emo unlocked his _**Sharingan**_ yesterday and is training with it like a madman."

"Great, the jutsu thief clan makes a comeback." Naruko grumbled.

"Jutsu thief?" Haku asked in confusion.

"The power of the _**Sharingan**_ allows someone with it to copy and use any jutsu they can see, with the obvious exception being Kekkei Genkai Jutsu, like your _**Hyōton**_." Kurenai explained, "Most of the Uchiha kept their eyes on the enemy, but a few used the instant memorisation capability to steal the jutsu of their allies, as well as secret recipes, Fūinjutsu and other Clan secrets that took generations to create and refine."

"This meant that the Uchiha were treated with suspicion and mistrust by the rest of Konoha." Anko continued, "Granted, it was for the actions of perhaps ten percent of the Clan at any given time, but still. How would you feel if a jutsu you had created yourself was just copied and used by someone with only as much effort as channelling chakra to their eyes?"

"I don't like it, that's for sure." Zabuza grumbled. He had had his _**Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu**_, _**Suiton: Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu **_and _**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu **_stolen by Kakashi's damned eye and the Demon of the Bloody Mist was _not_ happy about that.

"I see your point, Anko-sama." Haku admitted, "I am much relieved that my _**Hyōton**_ cannot be copied in such a way."

"Ah look. There's Tazuna-san and the rest." Ino pointed over to the bridge, where Tazuna, Inari, Tsunami and Team 7 were waiting for them.

"I thought that the teme was training his ass off?" Naruko wondered aloud.

"Guess the Scarecrow got his ass moving for a change." Anko shrugged. She didn't care why the dumbass had moved his team out on time for a change; she was just glad that the lazy bastard valued his books enough to show up on time.

'_Ah well. There goes the bonfire idea I had for them._' she thought philosophically.

"Ino-pig! What took you so long?" Sakura called out mockingly.

"This coming from Team Slow Scarecrow?" Ino scoffed, "Looks like miracles do happen; we aren't the ones waiting for a change!"

Waiting for Kakashi to turn up at the ersatz training field had become increasingly irritating for Team 8 over the last almost two weeks, so Ino's remarks were no exactly out of place. Naruko had even chased Kakashi around the island once, _**Henge'd**_ into her mother's form, scaring the life out of the man.

"Maa, maa. We're here now, so can I please get my books back, Anko?" Kakashi said in a lazy drawl that a Nara couldn't best in terms of how disinterested he sounded.

"When we get back to Konoha." the Snake Mistress replied, smirking at the flat look she received from the silver-haired Jonin.

"Ahem." Tazuna coughed pointedly, "I hate to interrupt, but we, that is the villagers and I, have something to say to you all."

"Oh?" Kakashi sounded vaguely interested at this.

As one, the villagers bowed low at the shinobi.

"Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for liberating Nami no Kuni from that monster of a man, Gatō." Tazuna said reverently, "As a sign of appreciation, no one wearing a Konohagakure hitai-ate will ever need to pay a toll to use this bridge, and we will come to Konoha for any missions we need."

Naruko raised an impressed eyebrow. That was a mighty concession for a small nation to make, especially with such a large bridge to maintain…although the Fūinjutsu that Naruko had applied to it meant that they wouldn't _need_ to maintain it until the Fūinjutsu ran down…in about fifty years.

Ah, the wonders of sealing.

"We will take your words to Hokage-sama." Kurenai promised.

"And I owe great thanks to Naruko-san here." Tazuna turned to Naruko, "You saved my daughter and grandson from Gatō's thugs and even forced that bastard of a man to spill all of his account numbers, so every Ryo we lost will be returned. Words are insufficient to describe my -our- thanks."

"Eh…it was nothing." Naruko flapped an embarrassed hand at the old drunkard, her face dusted with pink. She wasn't accustomed to such effusive praise, at all.

"Inari thought you'd say that." Tazuna grinned down at his grandson before returning his gaze to Naruko, "He is the one who suggested how we express our gratitude. Ryūya! Pull the cord!"

The man standing off to the right tugged the cord next to him and the covered section in the centre of the arch dropped down, revealing the spiral symbol of the Uzumaki Clan, as well as a simple title beneath it.

'**The Great Uzumaki Bridge'**

Naruko's jaw dropped in astonishment and her eyes widened in shock. This was…completely unexpected.

Her friends had to giggle at the rare sight of a speechless Naruko. Anko, Kurenai and Kakashi were smiling at this gesture by the villagers. Now, even if she never became Hokage, Naruko's Clan would never be forgotten, so long as the bridge stood strong. This was a priceless gift for the girl.

"Tazuna-san…this is too much!" Naruko protested feebly, her brain seemingly stalled as she continued to stare up at the symbol of her Clan.

"Feh. It isn't nearly enough." Tazuna waved her protest away like a bug, "If you need help with construction, give me a holler. In addition, if you pass by these parts, feel free to stay with my family. Don't be a stranger, y'hear?"

For a moment, the redheaded girl was silent, before she turned and nodded mutely at Tazuna, too emotional to speak.

Team 7 and Team 8 left Nami no Kuni to the cheers of the villagers, being the first people to fully cross the Great Uzumaki Bridge. They did not notice the plaque that was set to one side of the bridge as they left it.

_This Bridge was named in honour of the wishes of Uzumaki Naruko._

_The Saviour of the Land of Waves._

_Let the name of her Clan never be forgotten._

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Darkness, White Snakes and Politics**

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	26. Darkness, White Snakes and Politics

**Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 26 here.**

**Sorry it's late. I had to fix my computer…then there were power failures…and upgrades to the cables to fibre optic or something like that…**

**Yeah, basically everything's been going against me recently. Anyway, here is the new chapter. Enjoy.**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 26: Darkness, White Snakes and Politics**

_Unknown Location_

The dimly lit room was filled with many esoteric and bizarre medical and scientific devices. Test tubes and pipes with glowing liquids sat alongside racks of sharp and gruesome surgical instruments, some of them still caked with the blood and flesh of the last person they were used to cut into.

Standing next to a table in the centre of the room was a tall man with long black hair. He had pallid white skin, yellow snake-like eyes with thin purple tattoos around them and a pair of purple magatama-shaped earrings that rattled as he worked. Clad in black shinobi sandals, grey trousers, a purple rope-belt and a tan robe, the man would have stood out in a crowd.

Why wouldn't he? For this man was one of the Three Great Traitors of Konohagakure, Orochimaru, the Snake Sannin.

Currently, he was dissecting a corpse that had been discovered in Kiba no Kuni, a ninja who had possessed a Kekkei Genkai Dōjutsu that had allowed him to manipulate earth in a similar fashion to the abilities of his own failed artificial Dōjutsu, the _**Higan**_.

A truly fascinating bloodline, and one he hoped would show him where he had went wrong with the Higan. Oh, there was nothing wrong with the chakra consumption or usage of the fire eyes, but the psychological side effects had been not up to his satisfaction. A minor god-complex and heightened contempt for life after protracted use might not sound like such a drawback when taken in the abstract, but the Snake Sannin knew all too well the advantage of caution on the battlefield, so he had regretfully tabled the experiment.

The sole surviving prototype, Hachidoro Kaen, had been eager to prove his worth to him…for the moment. Orochimaru had known that it would have been a matter of time before the fool tried to overthrow him, so had decided to use Kaen as an experiment for his latest creation at the time, the _**Shura no Juin**_.

If he died, Orochimaru knew he would have to tweak the seal a bit. If he lived, on to the next experiment…the level two seal. A win-win situation for him.

Much to the man's mild surprise, Kaen had survived both the initial implanting of the _**Shura no Juin **_and the advancement to a Level 2 _**Juinjutsu**_. It had not been without a long tirade of cursing on the man's part.

Deciding that as the man had survived, he should be put to work, Orochimaru had sent him out into the world to act as a Shōkin Kubigari Shinobi, gathering up Nuke-nin and claiming the bounties on their heads from their home villages, which would then be funnelled into Orochimaru's organisation via several cutouts and dummy corporations.

The irony of the Shinobi Villages funding his organisation made Orochimaru smirk whenever he thought about it.

"Orochimaru-sama." a voice said from behind him.

"Kabuto, is it?" the Snake Sannin said sibilantly, "I do recall stating that I was not to be disturbed while dissecting the latest specimen. Dare I hope you have sufficient reason to go against my commands?"

"Hai." the owner of the voice said as he moved into the light. The boy had dark grey hair and wore glasses. His clothes were purple and white, with a pair of fingerless gloves to complete the outfit. A Konoha Hitai-ate was worn almost mockingly on his forehead, "One of your _**Juinjutsu**_ has vanished from the tracking board."

Orochimaru stiffened. He had an entire room dedicated to tracking the locations of every single person who bore one of his special _**Juinjutsu**_, via a complex map of the Elemental Nations and figurines. When the bearer of a _**Juinjutsu**_ died, the figure was destroyed.

"Where was it?" he demanded.

"Nami no Kuni." Kabuto replied, "I believe that was where the _**Ashura no Shimen**_ was operating this month."

With an angry growl, the Snake Sannin removed his hands from the corpse before him and turned to face Kabuto fully.

"Dispatch a team of Otogakure Shinobi to Nami and have them investigate. **Subtly**." he ordered, "Make certain they understand that failure will not be tolerated."

"As you wish, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto replied with a bow, "I find it curious that Kaen was defeated. His _**Higan**_ combined with his _**Shura no Juin **_should have been unstoppable against any regular opponent…"

"Which means that it was no ordinary opponent then." his master hissed angrily, "Nami is closest to Hi no Kuni, so I'm willing to bet that one of the Elite Jonin have something to do with Kaen's defeat. Reinsert yourself into Konoha and investigate any mission reports that might indicate exactly what happened in that pissant nation. I want to know everything - names, ranks, numbers, the lot."

"As you wish." the silver-haired medic replied and headed off to do his lord's bidding.

Orochimaru turned back to the corpse and continued his work, although he was frowning in thought. What nobody but he knew was that each and every _**Juinjutsu**_ he had created contained a part of his soul within it, an emergency back up in case, by some unforeseen mishap, his current body was killed.

Including Anko's proto-_**Ten no Juin**_, the Sound Ninja Four's Lesser Seals, Kaguya Kimimaro's _**Chi no Juin (Cursed Seal of Earth)**_ and a host of other minor seals here and there, he had roughly thirty _**Juinjutsu**_ standing ready to revive him in case of an emergency.

The fact that the bearer of one was killed was…disturbing. Almost all who bore even a lesser seal, such as the Sound Four, were at least the level of a Tokujō. Kimimaro's _**Juinjutsu**_ was of equal strength to the completed _**Ten no Juin**_, with only his debilitating lung disease preventing the Snake Sannin from using his _**Furō Fushi no Jutsu (Eternal Youth and Immortality Jutsu)**_ to transfer bodies to him.

'_Whoever slew Kaen, the useless experiment that he was, must be dealt with._' Orochimaru thought darkly, '_Such a person is cannot be permitted to interfere in my plans._'

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_Main Gates, Konohagakure no Sato_

"Damn those are some big doors." Zabuza whistled as the former Nuke-nin gazed up at the super sized red gates in admiration. He stood next to Naruko and Haku a few meters away from the gateway into Konoha.

"Yeah, they're something else alright." Naruko said with a grin, "They were created by the Shodaime Hokage using his _**Mokuton**_ Kekkei Genkai, then covered in multiple Fūinjutsu by his wife, Uzumaki Mito. You'd need the power of a Bijū to break through them once they're closed and the Fūinjutsu is activated, and even then it'd be a close call."

"Are the walls equally formidable?" Haku asked.

"Not so much." the Uzumaki Heiress sighed, "Shodaime-sama intended to create walls out of his Mokuton, but the craftsmen guilds demanded he not put them out of a job before they were on their feet. So we make do with reinforcing their -rather slipshod- work with basic Fūinjutsu. Not even very good Fūinjutsu either."

"Tch. Politics and civilians." Zabuza shook his head scornfully.

"Maa, they do cause problems, but they aren't all bad." Kakashi drawled as he strolled up to the trio, "Besides, Hashirama-sama slapped the crafting guilds down rather firmly after the walls were found to be poorly constructed and needed to be rebuilt from scratch. Civs can play games with shinobi…but only when we let them."

"You took your time catching up to us, Kakashi-sensei." Naruko commented.

"Meh. Sasuke keeps wanting to train his _**Sharingan**_." the silver-haired Jonin replied with a shrug.

"Make sure he keeps his eyes away from my jutsu or I'll rip them out and send them to Itachi-nii as a present." Naruko warned him, "My Taijutsu and Kenjutsu as well."

"Don't worry, I have every intent of beating morals into him, quite literally if gentle persuasion doesn't cut it." Kakashi assured her lazily, "That is, once he manages to tree climb for ten minutes straight."

"What's he up to now?" Naruko grinned.

"Five minutes…give or take thirty seconds." the Jonin replied, "Ah, here comes the rest of our merry band."

"Who are you calling merry, Cyclops?" Anko snapped as she led the rest of Team 7 and Team 8 down the road. The Tokujō was giving Kakashi the evil eye for some reason.

Behind her, Kurenai was escorting Shikiki Tomoe, the last living member of the _**Ashura no Shimen**_. She was wearing shackles and dressed in plain grey clothes. It was determined that her _**Iro Ninpō: Haima (Colour Ninja Art: Ash Devil) **_was the most useless of her repertoire, as it only allowed her to secrete a cloud of ash from her body, so all of her hippie clothes had been confiscated and these old prison duds had been found.

She was an issue that Naruko had not yet decided on how to resolve and she was fresh out of ideas on what to do. It was decided by the three Jonin that the Hokage would decide her fate.

The five remaining Genin were still a bit keyed up from their missions and were warily regarding the surrounding trees and other foliage for signs of enemies.

"Stand down already, brats." Anko snapped at them, "If an enemy got this close to Konoha, they would be so skilled that you'd be dead before you could react."

"Not the best thing to say to jumpy genin, Anko." Kurenai sighed.

"Sorry." the Snake Mistress said gruffly, "But…IT started this morning and you know what I'm like in the first two days."

The Genjutsu Mistress nodded sympathetically. Anko's periods were very rough early on and made her very cranky. It was hypothesised by the Med-nins that her _**Ten no Juin **_was the cause of this, but they were unsure.

"Geh. Let's get in and report already." Anko grumbled, "The sooner we report to Hokage-sama, the sooner I can start eating dango."

Naruko chuckled at the antics of her lover. "As Anko-chan-sensei says, let's get this show on the road."

Kakashi and Kurenai took the lead, with Naruko, Hinata and Ino arrayed in a triangle formation around Tomoe, Zabuza and Haku. Sasuke, Kiba and Sakura took up the rear alongside Anko.

The two chunin guarding the front gate observed the approaching party and immediately recognised Zabuza, prompting them to prepare for combat, just on the safe side.

"Kakashi, what's with the Nuke-nin?" Izumo called out warily.

"A souvenir of sorts." the silver-haired man replied easily, "Team 7, returning from the mission of escorting the Bridge Builder Tazuna to Nami no Kuni, three prisoners in tow."

"Team 8, returning from an investigation of Morimura Village and a reinforcement mission to Nami no Kuni." Kurenai added.

"Umm…right." his partner, Kōtetsu, said lamely, "Please sign in and report to Hokage-sama."

"Yo!" Naruko greeted the two jauntily.

"Great, the Prankster Queen is back in town." Izumo groaned, "Please tell me that you aren't going to cut loose on everyone now you're back?"

"Not everybody…just a few who need it." Naruko smirked evilly, making the paranoia alarms on the Konoha residents ring loudly. When Naruko selected her pranking targets, she usually had two criteria. One, they had to be able to handle whatever she threw at them. Two, they had to have either offended her or one of her friends.

The reason she had pranked the entire Hyūga Clan that one time was because the Elders had tried to have Hinata branded with the Caged Bird Seal. The only ones spared from having their underwear swapped out with pink thongs or t-backs were Hiashi, Hinata and Hanabi.

The two chunin decided to ask for an extended mission outside of Konoha ASAP. No way did they want to be in the line of sight of one of her pranks.

"Let's keep moving, cute little genin." Kakashi chided them.

"This coming from someone who wouldn't know how to be on time with a room full of clocks?" Naruko scoffed.

Anko cackled at this.

"She's got you there, scarecrow."

Being a mature adult, the Copy-Ninja did not blast them with his _**Raikiri**_.

_Later_

_Hokage's office_

"…and that is the end of my report, Hokage-sama." Kakashi concluded.

"I see." Sarutobi nodded as he re-lit his pipe, "Very well. Team 7 is to have this mission recorded as an A-Rank mission on their permanent records. In addition, the C-Rank portion is to be counted as a separate mission entirely. Congratulations."

"Th-thank you, Hokage-sama." Sakura said in stunned amazement. The combined amount from a C-Rank (plus ten percent for the mission being under-ranked) and an A-Rank would allow Team 7 to live at ease financially for a while.

"You all performed well for fresh genin, Sakura-chan." Sarutobi smiled at the girl, "Now, you are all hereby ordered to rest for the next week. You may either remaining your Team apartment or you can return to your homes. Dismissed."

Team 7 bowed to the Hokage and left, allowing the old man to turn his attention to Kurenai.

"Do you have anything relevant to add to Kakashi's report, Kurenai?"

"No, Hokage-sama." she replied, receiving the message that if it had nothing to do with the mission, he didn't want to hear about it yet.

"Very well. Now, Momochi Zabuza and Yuki Haku are known to me, but who is this young lady?" the Hokage gestured at a subdued Tomoe.

"She is Shikiki Tomoe, the only member of the bounty hunter group _**Ashura no Shimen **_to survive the battle." Kurenai supplied, "She surrendered to Zabuza during the battle and he passed custody of her to us afterwards."

"Look at me, Shikiki-san." Sarutobi said gently. The girl looked up shyly to see the infamous Kami no Shinobi smiling gently at her. "Would you care to tell me how you came to be mixed up in bounty hunting?"

Tomoe's story was a rather sad one. The small Shikiki Clan had once lived in Kusagakure and had been a key part of its shinobi forces since its founding eighty years previously. Sadly, they had no special skills or Kekkei Genkai that made them stand out from the rest of the clans, so they had languished in relative obscurity, until a member of the clan developed jutsu that merely needed differently coloured clothes in order to use, aside from a few that required handsigns.

That had been halfway through the Third Great Ninja War, over twenty years ago and shortly before Tomoe's birth. She had had a natural talent for the Iro Ninpō and had been lauded by her clan as the greatest prodigy in the art since its creation.

Sadly, all that had been lost when her clan had been wiped out by jealous rivals over five years ago, leaving herself and her mother as the only survivors. Terrified and alone, her mother had fled Kusagakure with her in tow.

Tomoe's mother had lived another year before succumbing to a deadly illness that she had contracted shortly after fleeing Kusa, leaving Tomoe, aged 16, alone in the world.

She had drifted from place to place, stealing food and clothes where she could until she had met Hachidoro Kaen and had been his first recruit of the _**Ashura no Shimen**_. She hated hurting and killing people, but she literally had nowhere to go, so she put on a 'happy-go-nuts' mask in order to hide her real feelings.

"I see." Sarutobi said with a sympathetic look at her, "You have led quite the sad life. Although this does put me into a bit of a quandary. Kusagakure did wipe out the Shikiki Clan and they had placed a bounty on the head of yourself and your mother. Not a substantial bounty, but a bounty nevertheless."

"Tomoe knows." the girl sighed, "Tomoe saw the poster in the Bounty Office last year. Tomoe is kind of insulted it's only as much as a C-Rank Shinobi when Tomoe can crush most chunin easily."

Sarutobi chuckled at that. "Yes, but it is an advantage as it means any of Kusagakure's Oinin Butai will underestimate your capabilities should they attack you. The question here is what to do with you. Should Kusa find out we have you here, they will demand you be handed over to them."

"What did the Shikiki Clan do to deserve being purged by their own village?" Anko asked through narrowed eyes.

"Nothing." the Hokage admitted with a frown, "The Shikiki merely supported one faction of the Jonin Council against a rival Clan, who supported another faction. That Clan led a revolt and took control of Kusagakure, purging all who stood against them."

"Typical small village politics, in other words." Anko concluded sourly.

"Sadly, yes." Sarutobi conceded, "Naruko, have you considered offering Tomoe here a similar solution to Haku-san?"

"I…haven't considered it." Naruko replied slowly, "I had clear jurisdiction over Zabuza and Haku-nee because of the crimes committed against the Uzumaki by Kirigakure. There was no excuse for me to butt into Tomoe's situation as she was put into Konohagakure custody."

"And now?"

"If the Hokage of Konohagakure wishes the Uzumaki Clan to take in a political hot potato, then, as Ambassador, I think I can see my way to accepting her as a Spoil." Naruko said formally, "That is, if there is no other alternatives that you can find."

"There are a few alternatives, but none of them are suitable." the Hokage replied with a scowl, "My advisors would urge me to hand her over for the bounty, despite the fact that the current regime in Kusa is predicted to only last six more months at the outside. I cannot enrol her in the Shinobi forces as she is a person wanted for crimes in an allied village and I cannot grant her asylum because of my advisors and their habit of going behind my back. Tomoe-san, what do you say?"

"Tomoe doesn't want to be a Spoil." she said with a pout, "Then again, Tomoe doesn't exactly want to be executed either, so Tomoe would rather be a Spoil than handed over to Kusa."

"Great, another Spoil collar to make." Naruko grumbled, "At least it'll be easier with metal than with leather."

"I'm sure it will be well made, Naruko." Sarutobi said with a small chuckle, "Now…Momochi Zabuza. According to Naruko's report, you agreed to bear the burden of the sins of the previous wielder of your blade and swore service to the Uzumaki Clan for life in repayment, as well as allowing your adopted daughter to become a Spoil as a guarantee on your part. Is that all correct?"

"Yes it is." Zabuza replied carefully, "You don't have a problem with me keeping my blade, do you?"

"You are the wielder of Kubikiribōchō; you are the only one fit to appoint a successor to that blade." Sarutobi replied seriously, "I have a lot of respect for masters of their craft and you certainly qualify. The council will certainly complain, but they would do that regardless of what I said. So, to put it bluntly, screw them."

"Heh…looks like this job might be more fun than I thought." Zabuza mused.

"Yuki Haku-san. You understand that in public, you will have to defer to Naruko like an actual Spoil." Sarutobi said as he turned his attention to the young woman, "Naruko doesn't consider you as such, but appearances must be kept up."

"Hai, Hokage-sama. I understand." Haku replied softly, "Naruko-sama has assured me on multiple occasions that she intends to free me after a certain period of time has passed, so I rest easy that this is a mid-term arrangement."

"A remarkably level-headed attitude to take." the Hokage nodded approvingly, "Should you wish to enter the Shinobi Forces after being freed, I believe you shall do rather well. Kurenai, take Zabuza, Haku and Tomoe to the Uzumaki Compound and get them settled in. Naruko, what position are you giving Zabuza?"

"Captain of the Guard." Naruko replied, "It's a gross underutilisation of his skills with only two guards, but there you go. If necessary, I'll assign him enough duties that he might be challenged enough outside of training to not get bored."

"A sensible approach. I doubt anybody will be stupid enough to try and infiltrate the Compound with the Demon of the Bloody Mist on guard duty." Kurenai said with a smile, "Follow me if you please."

As Kurenai led the three out of the office, Naruko faintly saw a pair of shadows move to follow them. ANBU, she realised.

"Now then…Anko, kindly give me your report on the mission to Morimura." Sarutobi directed the purple-haired kunoichi.

As Anko started reeling off the details of the mission, Sarutobi was listening with one ear while making plans. The council would have to be called due to Naruko's 'acquisition' of Zabuza and Haku. Tomoe would be something of an afterthought by comparison. The hard-line civilian council members -and a few of the stupider ninja council members- would be salivating at the thought of acquiring one of the rare Elemental Kekkei Genkai for Konoha.

He had to admit that it was incredibly tempting prospect at face value, but getting on the bad side of someone with the reputation of Momochi Zabuza -not to mention his surrogate granddaughter, who had taken a shine to Haku- was A Bad Idea.

He just had to make those incompetent busybodies on the council see reason on that front, aided and abetted by one Uzumaki Naruko.

He brought himself out of his thoughts in time to hear Anko end her report. The details were even worse when spoken aloud than they were when written on paper. The disturbing fact that Naruko had used her tenant's chakra at least four times was something worthy of note and he resolved to have Tsunade examine Naruko thoroughly once Jiraya dragged her drunken gambling carcass back to Konoha.

"Very good." he said aloud, "The situation that you were put into was one that seasoned ANBU would have had trouble dealing with…and _did_ have trouble dealing with when they joined you. Unfortunately, as the C-Rank portion was a complete falsehood, that part will be struck from the records. The S-Rank portion will go on your records, but you are not allowed to discuss the details with anyone without permission from either myself or whosoever replaces me. Understood?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Team 8 chorused in unison.

"Good." Sarutobi nodded, "Now, Ino, Hinata, your parents have been very worried about you, so I would ask that you head for your Clans to assure them that you are alright. I have to discuss Naruko's overuse of certain Kinjutsu with her, so you two are excused."

After a quick farewell, Naruko's teammates left the room to head to their families.

Once the door was closed, Sarutobi turned his full attention onto Naruko, who was looking decidedly nervous.

"Now then, Genin Uzumaki." he said softly, "Kindly detail your interactions with the Kyūbi no Kitsune."

"I was badly injured in battle against the Chief Retainer of the Yanagi Clan, Inaba Kogorō, and lost consciousness after dragging myself to safely." Naruko recited promptly, "I woke up inside my mindscape and encountered the Kyūbi. Over the course of the discussion we had, I learned that he bears a grudge against both the Uzumaki and Uchiha Clans. The Uzumaki for jailing him for the past century and the Uchiha for Uchiha Madara's mental manipulation.

The fox then offered me a challenge. If I passed three tests, he would cease interfering with my chakra control and cooperate with me."

"I see." Sarutobi said neutrally. Only Naruko could confront the most powerful being on the planet and argue him into giving her a chance to gain his power. "And how do you know that he will keep his word?"

"He's a Kitsune, so his word is his bond." Naruko replied, "He also said that I'm influenced by the nature of Kitsune as well."

'_That does make sense._' the Hokage conceded to himself, '_The fact that Naruko is also influenced is somewhat troubling, but as it is the nature of Kitsune in general rather than the demon fox itself that is influencing her, it should be alright._ _Something else for Tsunade to check though._'

"After granting me access to a special Katon Jutsu that was specially designed to defeat being like the Akuryō no Moriki, I woke up to find my self with my team, whereupon he informed me of the claimed identity of the Masked Man who attacked my mother." Naruko continued, "We communicated with each other infrequently throughout the second battle with Inaba Kogorō, Yanagi Sae and the Akuryō no Moriki itself. During those battles, I drew on the Kyūbi's chakra to the extent that I was able to completely shroud myself in it, which I call the _**Yōko**____**no Koromo**_."

"The Demon Fox's Cloak…an apt name." Sarutobi allowed.

"I thought so." Naruko smiled, "Anyway, the night after we arrived in Nami no Kuni, I sat down with the fox and thrashed out the restrictions of the three tasks."

"Ah, so you didn't simply trust him on the face of it." Anko smirked, "'Atta girl, Naru-chan."

"What was the result?" Sarutobi asked cautiously.

"First off, he can't set me an impossible task, like bench pressing the moon." Naruko replied, "Each task has to be physically within my capabilities. Next, no task can do anything that directly or indirectly harms my friends or Konoha. Finally, no task can be against my own moral code."

Sarutobi examined those conditions for a moment. Kitsune were very tricky creatures, and the Kyūbi, with nine tails, should have been able to set conditions that left plenty of scope for it to mess with Naruko, should it so desire, yet these conditions levelled the playing field. He had to wonder why the Kyūbi had allowed itself to be restricted by such harsh restrictions.

"Very well negotiated." he said aloud, "What then?"

"Once the fox discovered that we were going to fight that rat Gatō, he issued me his first challenge." Naruko said with a frown, "I had to get through the day without using any of his chakra, even the part that gives me enhanced healing. That sucked when that six-armed bastard broke my arms and legs. Fortunately, Kaa-san's mental clone accelerated my healing process as a kind of final gift."

Sarutobi smiled sadly. It must have been a bittersweet thing for her to have met a clone of her mother, only to have to part shortly afterwards.

"I take it you passed, then." he enquired.

"Barely. I reached for the fox's chakra but I was in so much pain after having my limbs broken at once that I couldn't reach it." Naruko grimaced at the memory, "Anyway, he was satisfied with what happened, but warned me not to use my chains on him or the deal was off."

"Considering your mother used them on him shortly before he was sealed into you, that doesn't surprise me." the Hokage remarked dryly, "Is that everything you have to report?"

"There is something else, actually." Naruko admitted, "My _**Henge**_ is not a genjutsu, it's a solid, actual transformation."

Sarutobi's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Indeed?"

"Watch. _**Henge!**_"

In a puff of smoke, Naruko transformed into a katana. Anko grabbed the hilt of the katana and ran through a basic kata before placing it on the floor again.

When Naruko reappeared, it was all the old man could do to not drop his jaw in surprise. This wasn't just a shape change. Naruko had -somehow- managed to match the mass of whatever she transformed into as well, otherwise Anko wouldn't have been able to swing her transformed student around like that, not without the application of chakra to her muscles anyway.

How…ah.

"It would appear that the Kitsune bleed-over doesn't just apply to your mannerisms and morals, Naruko-chan." he spoke aloud, "According to legend, Kitsune are supposed to have the ability to transform into anything. I suspect this is what your solid _**Henge**_ is."

"Huh…" Naruko said softly, "Who knew? Well, I can't keep calling a solid _**Henge**_, because that just sounds lame."

"How about _**Kage Henge (Shadow Transformation)**_?" Anko suggested.

"That sounds just as bad!" Naruko retorted with a wrinkled nose, "Not to mention generic!"

"Might I suggest a name?" Sarutobi interjected before the two lovers could get an argument brewing in his office.

"Sure Ji-chan." Naruko nodded.

"I would suggest _**Ninpō: Kohenkyo no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Fox Switch Deception Jutsu)**_." he said with a sneaky smile, "A famous female Kitsune took on the form of a beautiful woman to seduce an emperor, and neither his Samurai nor his Shinobi were able to detect anything other than a woman. That is true deception, which fits the name."

"And the switch part?" Anko asked with a raised eyebrow.

"How better to elude pursuit than to switch into a different form?" Sarutobi pointed out.

"I like it." Naruko said thoughtfully, "The civilians will hate the fox part, but…meh. Screw them."

"Very well. Now, we have to discuss how to handle the council tomorrow." the Hokage said seriously, "They won't call a meeting today, but definitely tomorrow, so we need all our ducks in a row so we can pull the rug out from underneath them."

"Pranking the council…you're speaking my language, Ji-chan." Naruko said dreamily.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_The Next Day_

_Council Chambers, Hokage Tower_

Shimura Danzō gazed around the Council chamber with a careful eye. He had received news the previous day of the return of the Jinchūriki to Konoha, with one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist -still carrying his Treasure Weapon- and the last in the line of the Yuki Clan of Mizu no Kuni in tow.

The Yuki Clan had never been a part of Kirigakure. Fiercely independent and as implacable as glacial ice, their Hyōton Kekkei Genkai had kept all those who attempted to sway them to joining Kirigakure or any other Hidden Village away when they didn't accept 'no' for an answer.

Oh, they had been loyal members of Mizu no Kuni, and paid their taxes on time, etc, etc, but they refused to join a larger group of Shinobi. It had been that isolation which had damned them when Yagura began the Bloodline Purges.

By the time Danzō had found out about the Purge and dispatched agents to 'acquire' a suitable male or female from the Clan before it became extinct, it had been too late. The Yuki Clan had been declared dead to the last man, woman and child, leaving the Shinobi of Darkness bitterly cursing lost opportunities.

Now though…now he could breed a new line of agents, all wielders of the powerful and deadly Ice Style, for the betterment of the Great Tree of Konoha…with him at its head, of course.

All he had to do was wrest her away from The Weapon and that bleeding heart Sarutobi.

The quiet conversation that filled the room trailed off as Sarutobi Hiruzen stalked through the door, obviously unhappy. He locked eyes with Danzō, knowing he was responsible for this.

'_And there isn't a thing you can do about it, old monkey._' the crippled man sneered at his old teammate in his mind whilst maintaining a blank and neutral expression to the world.

"Come to order." Sarutobi said gruffly, "Now, would someone please tell me why this meeting was called…without my permission, might I add."

It was the Hokage's prerogative to call Council meetings, with one exception. Mitokado Homura leaned forwards, drawing the room's attention.

"True, Hiruzen, but the exception is when a Council member discovers something that might have significant impact on Konoha as a whole, they are permitted to call a meeting of the Council." he said gravely.

"And I take it you have discovered something of this magnitude?" his old teammate asked irritably.

"Indeed I have." Homura replied, "I received information that the last bearer of the Hyōton Kekkei Genkai, a girl, arrived in Konohagakure yesterday as a prisoner."

The civilians started whispering amongst each other at this, and even the Shinobi Clan Heads looked interested. Unsurprising really, considering the bloodline of the Yuki Clan had supposedly been wiped out a decade ago.

"I see." Sarutobi said neutrally, "And this is relevant because…why, exactly?"

A frown almost broke free of Danzō's control at this. There was absolutely no way that the old monkey didn't see the direction his patsy Homura was going with this. He knew Sarutobi better than almost any living person did and, while he despised the weakness that he showed the world rather than the strength that was needed, he knew that the Sandaime Kami no Shinobi was far from senility or stupidity.

So what's his game?

"Why, I should think it obvious, Hiruzen." Utatane Koharu said waspishly, "We should put the girl onto the Clan Restoration Act and recreate the Yuki Clan in Konoha. Not to mention remove the Kubikiribōchō from the hands of Momochi Zabuza, who was also captured and brought in yesterday. It would make a marvellous bargaining chip with the Mizukage, whether it's Yagura or whoever replaces him."

A loud smack on the table came from Tsume slamming her fist on it. "Are you seriously suggesting we subject a girl to what amounts to mass rape?!" she growled in a fury.

"It was always the intention of the CRA to be enacted in a situation such as this, Inuzuka." Homura sniffed snobbishly at the enraged Inuzuka Clan Head, "Tobirama-sensei was a far-sighted man, and knew this sort of situation would come up that we simply have to take advantage of. An elemental Kekkei Genkai would raise our prestige immensely."

Danzō ignored the rest of the room as the argument progressed, choosing instead to observe his old friend. Sarutobi was simply sitting back and watching the room descend into a shouting match, a neutral expression on his face.

To others, this would present a very good poker face, but Danzō had known the old monkey for most of his life and he could read him fairly well as a result.

The old fool was actually _amused_ by all of this. He was like a child who had put a whoopee cushion under his friend's chair's cushion and was waiting for the friend in question to sit down.

A chill went up Danzō's spine. '_He knew this would happen. He knew and has a counter-plan to deal with it._'

Just at that moment, Sarutobi looked over at Danzō and cracked a small smile that said 'checkmate'.

"ENOUGH!" the Hokage bellowed, bringing the argument to an abrupt halt. He glared around the table for a moment, then sat back with a huff once he saw that the room was pacified.

"Good. Now that you have ceased acting like a roomful of rabid fangirls, we can actually address the issue." he said after a moment, "To answer the first question, yes, Yuki Haku and her adoptive father, Momochi Zabuza, have been brought in as prisoners. I'm afraid they were not prisoners of Konohagakure, however."

Before anyone could think to question what the Hokage meant by that, the double doors that were the only way in or out of the room swung open.

Through them stepped Naruko, although she was dressed in a way that only the oldest members recognised as being Uzumaki formal clothing from over twenty years ago. She wore a royal blue formal _furisode_ kimono with red spirals as decorations, a black _obi_ tied in an elaborate sash and carried her sheathed sword in one hand. Her blood red hair was done up in an elegant bun and she had some small application of makeup on her face. The hitai-ate over her forehead displayed the whirlpool symbol of Uzushiogakure.

'_He isn't doing what I think he's doing…he cannot be serious…!_' was repeating inside Danzō's head as he recognised exactly where this situation was headed.

"Hokage-sama." Naruko greeted Sarutobi with a formal bow.

"Ambassador Uzumaki." the Hokage nodded back.

"Hiruzen, what is the meaning of this nonsense?" blustered Homura.

"I would think my greeting of the Ambassador would make that perfectly clear, Elder Mitokado." Sarutobi replied softly, "Evidently, we need clarification for those of us who are yet to understand. Ambassador, if you would."

"Of course." Naruko said demurely. She tapped a seal on her left sleeve, which disgorged a scroll.

"This is the Uzushiogakure copy of the Treaty of Alliance with Konohagakure." she explained to the room at large as she unrolled it and looked for the section she was looking fore, "Ah! Here we go. And I quote: '_We, the Uzumaki Clan, do swear on our blood and honour that we shall come to the aid of our allies of Konohagakure upon request. We further swear that this treaty shall endure so long as at least one Uzumaki of the Main Branch lives. Signed, Uzumaki Rensa, Nidaime Uzukage._'"

The silence in the room was deafening. Even Nara Shikaku was sitting up and paying attention, which was cause for alarm in and of itself.

"So…what does that mean?" a rather stupid civilian asked.

"It means, you twit, that the treaty between Uzu and Konoha is still active because Uzumaki Naruko is still alive!" Haruno Mebuki snapped at the man impatiently.

"But...there's only one of her! She can't qualify for Clan status!" the man protested.

"There is also only one of the Uchiha Clan as well." Naruko pointed out dryly, "Are you willing to strip Uchiha Sasuke of his Clan status also?"

The man spluttered at this before falling silent under the weight of icy stares from the Shinobi side of the table.

"The important thing here is that Momochi Zabuza was a member of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, who lead the attack on Uzushiogakure." Sarutobi continued once the idiot settled down, "As all who know of the Seven are aware, the debts accrued by one wielder are passed down to their successors."

"And that means what?" the same idiot asked. Sarutobi made a note to see if the man had brain damage.

"It means that Ikura Sekiryū, who wielded Kubikiribōchō during the attack on Uzushiogakure, and Momochi Zabuza, his chosen successor, are considered one and the same person when it comes to Blood Debts." Naruko replied stonily.

The intake of breath from the Shinobi side was audible. Debts of Blood were very serious matters to Shinobi Clans. They were only declared when a Clan, group or Hidden Village committed a serious sin against the Clan who declared the debt. Wars had been started over Blood Debts.

Inoichi cleared his throat. "Ahem…can I enquire what price you demanded from Zabuza then, Ambassador?"

"I demanded his life in service to the Uzumaki Clan." Naruko replied, "He shall serve the Clan until his death, either in battle or of old age."

"And you seriously think he'll go along with it?" scoffed Koharu, "He's a Nuke-nin!"

"I am not stupid, Elder Utatane." Naruko replied coldly, "As surety against his betrayal, I demanded his adopted daughter, Yuki Haku, as a Spoil of War. She now wears a Spoil Collar, Bracelets and Anklets."

The fury inside of Danzō threatened to overwhelm him. He had been completely outmanoeuvred by The Weapon. He had been outmanoeuvred by a twelve-year-old girl.

"We can just demand that you hand them over!" Homura growled, "You are treading a thin line here, _Genin_. Be careful you do not wind up on charges of insubordination!"

"No, you cannot." Sarutobi interjected, "If Zabuza and Haku served Uzumaki Naruko, Genin of Konohagakure, then you could. They actually serve the Uzumaki Clan -a Clan not of Konoha- as a whole, which puts them outside of our jurisdiction. In addition, Uzumaki Naruko occupies the position of Ambassador from Uzushiogakure and the Uzumaki Clan, which grants her and her residence diplomatic immunity, so you cannot arrest her for insubordination, Homura."

Taken aback by this, Homura slumped back into his seat. Koharu wasn't done, however.

"As I recall, any Ambassador from a Hidden has to hold Shinobi Rank in their home village to qualify." she stated coolly, "Uzumaki-san does not hold any rank in Uzushiogakure, so I am afraid you are incorrect about her status."

"Firstly, that amendment came in fifteen years ago and was never ratified by the Uzumaki Ambassador of the time, Uzumaki Kushina, so it is a moot point." Sarutobi stated, "In addition, there is a relevant section of the treaty that applies here. Ambassador?"

Naruko, who had been searching through the treaty, nodded. "Where is it…ah, here we go. And I quote: '_Article 7 {In Case of Village Destruction}, Subsection 3, Recognition of Ranks. In the event of the destruction of either Uzushiogakure or Konohagakure, any Uzumaki or Senju Clansman or Clanswoman will be recognised as holding the equivalent shinobi rank in both their destroyed village and their allied village, excepting for the rank of Kage._'"

This made the room utterly silent as several jaws dropped in stupefaction.

"Was there anything else, Hokage-sama?" Naruko asked politely, her blue eyes dancing with amusement as she resealed the treaty.

"I believe that is everything." Sarutobi replied, his own eyes showing how amused he was, "My thanks for your assistance."

"The Uzumaki Clan is glad to have been of service to our allies." Naruko replied with another bow before she turned and left the room.

As the meeting broke up, Danzō hobbled off with a dark aura of fury about him. '_This transgression will not go unpunished!_' he swore to himself.

_A Few Minutes Later_

_Hokage's Office_

"That was very well done, Naruko-chan." Sarutobi complimented her.

"Hehehe…nah, that was just fun!" the redheaded bane of Danzō replied with a giggle, "The looks on their faces were reward enough!"

The Hokage chuckled in sync with his surrogate granddaughter. It had been very amusing to see Danzō, Koharu and Homura cut off at the knees like that.

Oh, Danzō hadn't said so much as a word during the meeting but the twitch of his only visible eyebrow and the glitter of fury in his sole remaining eye as the meeting turned against the old Warhawk told Hiruzen exactly who had set the Council meeting up, not that it had been hard to guess.

Out of the entirety of the council, the only ones with enough gumption to defy the Hokage in public were his former teammates, and even then, the ringleader was always Danzō.

"How are Zabuza and Haku settling in?" the Hokage enquired after a moment.

"Zabuza's impressed with the security, which is something." Naruko replied, "He did make a few suggestions on how make some of the traps more deadly, which I'll implement at some point. Haku-nee is settling in well, but she's insisting that I start treating her as a Spoil."

"You do have to treat her like a Spoil in public." Sarutobi pointed out.

"Yeah, but she wants me to do it all the time!" Naruko replied, slightly bewildered by this odd request, "What should I do here, Ji-chan?"

Sarutobi paused for a moment and thought over what he had been told about Yuki Haku before answering. "Naruko…you and she have a remarkably similar past, although hers was more traumatic in that she had been happy before despair overcame her. She devoted herself to Zabuza as a way to overcome that despair and abandoned the idea of being anything more than a tool. Now…she seems to have extended that same devotion to you."

A haunted look played over Naruko's face for a moment. Sarutobi knew that there were things she had gone through that even he didn't know about and he cursed himself for what had to be the millionth time for being such a useless Kage and a useless grandfather figure.

"I would suggest that you…oblige her requests, to a point." Sarutobi continued, "She knows you don't see her as a tool, so being slightly hesitant about the whole business will be expected. Ask her about boundaries and establish a point which you will both agree suit's the pair of you."

"It's just…weird." Naruko said with a frown.

"Rarely are there ever relationships in this world which do not have some degree of weirdness in them." Sarutobi chuckled, "Look at Kakashi and Gai. They have been acquaintances, rivals and friends for years and from the outside, it appears that all it that happens is Gai annoying Kakashi. Weird, is it not?"

That was not something Naruko could argue with. Hell, Maito Gai on his own counted as 'weird', so him and Mr I-read-porn-in-broad-daylight-and-don't-give-a-damn-about-it together definitely count as weird.

"That reminds me, I have what you asked for." Sarutobi stood and walked towards the safe.

"The Crow Contract?" Naruko asked sharply.

"Yes. It was in your mother's old apartment." Sarutobi replied, "She kept it there in a hidden safe, just in case. A surprisingly cautious move coming from Kushina."

He performed the sequence to open the safe and pulled out the black scroll of the Crow Contract. Hesitating for a moment, he then drew out an additional scroll before closing the door once more.

"This is the Family Summoning Scroll of the Uzumaki Clan, the Crow Contract." Sarutobi said as he passed the larger scroll to Naruko, who cradled it almost lovingly in her arms.

Sitting behind his desk again, Sarutobi coughed to draw Naruko's attention. "This, on the other hand, is research your mother conducted while carrying you…research on a way to break powerful _**Juinjutsu**_ such as the _**Ten no Juin**_."

Naruko gasped. "Seriously?"

"She did help create the _**Fūja Hōin**___that Anko currently bears." Sarutobi pointed out, "Although it must be said that it was only ever intended as a short term stopgap measure, so there is no telling how long it will hold. My student, Jiraya, wishes to study Kushina's research in hopes of completing her work and has asked me to ask your permission to have her notes."

Naruko looked torn, which Sarutobi understood completely. This was her mother's last work that they were talking about. She may have her Clan's history and a few journals from her mother, but this was something that had been created while Naruko had been in her mother's womb.

At the same time, Naruko wanted to help Anko. The _**Ten no Juin **_had made her life hell for over twelve years. It 'capped' her chakra, preventing her from gaining any degree of strength beyond a predetermined limit, drove her half mad with pain and visions and now it was revealed it prevented her from attacking Orochimaru because she refused to use it.

"The seals Kaa-san likely used will be Uzumaki seals requiring someone of Uzumaki blood to execute the technique." Naruko said at last, "He will be unable to test the seals without someone of Uzumaki blood to do so, and cousin Tsunade is only a quarter Uzumaki, so she is out."

"Why?" Sarutobi asked with a frown.

"I don't know." Naruko admitted, "I haven't read that far in my family's scrolls yet; I just know that the more powerful seals are…debilitating at the very least to someone who isn't at least half-Uzumaki."

"Noted." Sarutobi said, "And your answer to his request?"

Naruko sighed. "I agree on the condition he comes to me once he has reached the point where an Uzumaki is required, which it will, and that once the project is finished, my mother's research will be returned to the Uzumaki Clan to be stored in the Archive."

"That sounds like a fair pair of conditions." the Hokage nodded, "I'll let Jiraya-kun know and give him the scroll should he agree."

"By the way Ji-chan, have you ever heard of a group calling themselves the 'Clans of Darkness'?" Naruko asked with a frown.

"No, I can't say that I have." Sarutobi replied with a frown, "I take it that this has to do with that Wandering Ninja that you encountered in Nami?"

"Yeah. Whoever these Clans of Darkness are, they have some serious skill with Fūinjutsu and they really hate the Uzumaki Clan." Naruko replied, "I think he was after the Hakugin no Yari."

"Why would anyone go after it though." Sarutobi frowned. Naruko had told him of the Treasure Weapon the previous day and he had swiftly arranged for a large vault to be built in the Uzumaki Compound ASAP. "Only an Uzumaki can even touch it, let alone wield it."

"I don't know, but there is a reason it was so heavily guarded in Uzushiogakure, so I'll be adding several very powerful trap seals to the vault." the Uzumaki Heiress replied firmly, "That spear is far too dangerous to allow someone to get their hands on if the defensive mechanism on it is anything to go by."

This was common logic in the shinobi world. The more deadly and dangerous the defences on something were, the more powerful the item was.

"I can see your point." Sarutobi admitted, "I'll have a word with Jiraya-kun and have him put out feelers via his network to see if these people have been active anywhere."

After Naruko left, Sarutobi sighed tiredly. It was all getting a bit much for him. He was supposed to be retired for Kami's sake! Not forced to take up a job meant for someone young and vigorous when his body creaks and complains if he was too active for too long!

Tsunade was the only choice for his successor. Jiraya didn't want the job and would be hung on the second day for lecherous behaviour towards women anyway. Out of the rest of the elite shinobi of Konoha, the best candidate was Kakashi, but the man would drive everyone spare with his perpetual lateness and indolent perversity.

No, it had to be Tsunade. She would be able to take the reins as the Godaime Hokage for a few years, fifteen at the most, so Naruko could replace her as the Rokudaime Hokage once she had a bit of experience under her belt.

He had no doubt that Naruko would eventually become Hokage. She was too much her parent's daughter not to. The only fly in the ointment was convincing Tsunade to take up the hat. Her fear of blood and her contempt for Konoha had been caused by the same two things.

The death of her beloved younger brother, Nawaki, and the death of her lover, Katō Dan. Those two events had broken her Will of Fire and her spirit along with it. It wouldn't be easy to convince her, but Sarutobi was determined to do it.

Anything to get away from the paperwork, damn it!

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**Next Chapter: Sarutobi Konohamaru!**

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	27. Sarutobi Konohamaru!

**Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 27 up.**

**For a reason why it has been a while since I've posted, kindly see the three chapters I've posted for other stories for why.**

**I have been looking back at my previous chapters and have had to wince at the number of errors in them. Once I hit thirty chapters in this story, I will be going back and doing a major correction spree with all previously uploaded chapters of this story, so leave any spelling or grammar errors alone; I am well aware of them and will correct them when I'm good and ready.**

**I know I said that there would be lemons this chapter, but I have decided to put that off until next chapter. Sorry.**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 27: Sarutobi Konohamaru!**

_The Day of Team 8's Return…_

_Yamanaka Flower Shop_

Yamanaka Inoichi was tending to some flowers in the back of the shop when a delighted shriek came from his beloved wife, who was minding the storefront.

This could only mean one thing: Ino was home.

He hurried out to see his precious princess being hugged to death by Kanae, his wife. He took a moment to take her in.

Ino had a hard edge around her that hadn't been there when she had left on her mission. Slung over one shoulder was the hilt of a blade, a ninjatō judging by its length. A prize taken in battle, if he were one to judge. Her eyes were heavy with doubt and self-conflict, but not as much as he had been expecting.

"Daddy?" Ino asked when she caught sight of him.

The older blond walked over and joined his family in their hug.

"Welcome home, princess." he whispered.

At that, Ino broke down crying.

_Same Time…_

_Meeting Room, Hyūga Estate_

"Hinata." Hiashi greeted his daughter. Both of them were kneeling in the _seiza_ position.

"Otou-sama." Hinata replied with a bow, "I have just now returned from my mission."

"Yes, I am aware of the details." the Hyūga Clan Head replied, "From everything I have heard, you have done the Clan -and myself- proud. I will tell you not to go near the two remaining members of the Yanagi Clan unless a mission requires you to do so."

"Ano…That will be rather h-hard, Otou-sama, as it is my understanding that they have an estate near the new Uzumaki Compound." Hinata replied, "I will have to go past it on my way to the Hokage Tower."

"Hmmm…noted." Hiashi wasn't happy about this, but it was as Hinata said. "Kindly do not socialise with them, however. I dislike the fact that their clan attacked you and would prefer it if their loyalty to Konoha was proven before we start socialising with them."

"Hai, Otou-sama." Hinata nodded. She was slightly wary of the two remaining members of the Yanagi Clan as well; especially considering the only daughter was the identical twin of the madwoman who tried to kill her and her team.

"You should go and rest now; I remember that I was exhausted on the day I returned from my first mission outside of Konoha." he smiled kindly at his daughter, "And that was a mere _C_-Rank, rather than an S-Rank and A-Rank mission back-to-back."

"Hai, Otou-sama." Hinata bowed again and left, a smile on her face for a brief moment.

Several rooms away, Hyūga Neji deactivated his _**Byakugan**_ with a scowl on his face.

"An S-Rank and A-Rank mission? Preposterous." he scoffed, "Hinata-sama is in no way strong enough to survive a B-Rank Mission, let alone an S-Rank mission. Fate cannot be changed."

_Later_

_The Uzumaki Estate_

"Gotta say, this is some place, kid." Zabuza said as he looked around the concealed living quarters of the former Toji Clan Compound. Tomoe had vanished into her room with Kurenai as soon as they had arrived and hadn't emerged yet.

"I won it by beating the last member of a Clan who was about to go Nuke-nin." Naruko said with a shrug, "This is your quarters over here, Zabuza-san."

She pointed at a room right next to the door leading to the rest of the compound.

"Haku-nee-chan, your room is right next to mine." Naruko continued, "I've sent out Kage Bunshin to gather the necessary materials for a proper Spoil Collar, so kindly keep inside until I have it ready for you."

"Hai, Naruko-sama." Haku bowed submissively.

"Haku-nee-chan, you really don't have to act like a Spoil in private like this." Naruko said with a wince.

"I am required to treat you with the respect your position as my mistress deserves." Haku replied.

"Hahhhh…Ringo! Rinka!" the redheaded genin called out after sighing.

Two identical women appeared in a _**Konoha Shunshin**_. Both wore blue trousers, red tops, standard Konoha Chunin Vests, Konoha Hitai-ate and bore the Uzumaki spiral prominently on several locations of their clothes. They had shoulder-length turquoise hair and soft brown eyes.

"You summoned us, Mistress?" the one on the left asked eagerly. Naruko thought she was Rinka.

"Ringo, Rinka, this is Momochi Zabuza and Yuki Haku." the Uzumaki Heiress said with a gesture, "They're going to be living here from here on out. Zabuza is the Captain of the Guard, so do as he tells you in case of intruders."

"By your command." the two Chunin said formally.

"By the way mistress, a noise has been coming from a room two floors down." Ringo said, "We couldn't gain access to it, so we have no idea as to its cause."

"That's probably the Defence System Chamber." Naruko mused, "I'll see to it myself shortly. Anyway, have there been any incidents while I've been gone?"

"No." Ringo said, at the same time Rinka said, "Yes."

The twins glared at each other.

"Oi, oi…" Naruko sighed, "I take it this means you two disagree as to whether something has happened or not?"

"Hai, Mistress." Rinka said, "I could swear that I have seen ANBU-masked figures out of the corner of my eyes this last week. _Ringo_ however, doubts me because she has not seen them."

"That's because there was nothing to see." her twin said in exasperation, "Mistress wouldn't be watched by Hokage-sama in such a way; he's her surrogate grandfather!"

Naruko frowned as she thought this through while her two vassals squabbled in front of her.

"Enough!" she said, instantly quelling the two women, who bowed deeply in repentance at her tone of voice, "Rinka, well done for reporting this to me. Ringo, learn from your sister. _Anything_ that can be suspected as an intrusion or suspicious activity around the walls should be reported. Understood?"

"Hai, Mistress." Ringo said in an ashamed tone of voice, "I shall strive to do better in the future."

"Good girl." Naruko said, "Now, back to your posts."

"Hai!" they replied in unison before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"Who are they?" Zabuza asked.

"Maehara Rinka and Maehara Ringo, former members of the Seduction Squad." Naruko replied with a flush, "I was practicing an Injutsu technique on them that worked too well and, well…they kinda-sorta see me as their mistress because I accidentally broke them."

Zabuza looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "Fair enough. Stranger things have happened."

"Are they the reason you do not wish me to refer to you as mistress, Naruko-sama?" Haku asked curiously.

"Pretty much." Naruko said with an embarrassed chuckle, "Anyway, let's go down to the Defence System Chamber. I'd better see what that noise the girls heard is."

Following the girl down the stairs, Zabuza had to raise an eyebrow at the number of levels there were here.

"How deep does this place go down?" he asked.

"Ten stories." Naruko replied, "It's a bunker designed to be sealed off from the surface in the event of a cataclysm or enemy invasion. The walls cannot be broken through with Doton Ninjutsu or any amount of explosive tags and are made of the best materials as of forty years ago. I'll have to look into updating it, but it should be fine for the moment."

"Who the hell built this place?"

"The Toji Clan. They specialised in Karakuri Mechanisms and their special _**Kazeshini-Ryū **_Fūma Shuriken combat style." Naruko called back as she reached a set of double-doors embedded with what looked like florin spikes.

She pressed them in a specific order, slowly so Zabuza and Haku could see and memorise it. With a creak, the doors swung inwards once the sequence was complete.

"Come on in." Naruko beckoned them in.

"Naruko-sama, what is this place?" Haku asked as she entered the room cautiously.

"This is where all of the defences are controlled from." Naruko said, waving her hand at the seat that was in front of a large console bristling with buttons and had multiple screens around it, "It also monitors the status of the border seals…over there."

On the far side of the room was one of the most intricate pieces of artwork that Zabuza and Haku had ever seen. It resembled a many-tentacled beast of some kind, the limbs crisscrossing and seeming to writhe as they looked at it.

"What…_is_ that?" Haku asked, the girl's voice sounding disgusted.

"A representation of the status of the boundary seals." Naruko said with a frown, "See how the bottom right-hand corner is withered and discoloured? That means that somebody is trying to subvert the boundary seals, albeit rather badly."

Sure enough, a small section of the tendrils were withered and discoloured.

"What do the boundary seals do anyway?" Zabuza asked.

"They prevent anyone from entering except by the front gate." Naruko replied, "It might not look like it, but the seals create several Kekkai around the estate's perimeter. A sensory barrier to detect intrusion, a physical barrier to prevent entry and outside bombardment and a diagnostic barrier solely aimed at constantly analysing the rest of the barriers and the seals that power them and displaying that information here for human analysis."

"Damn. Did they hire your ancestors to build this?"

"Nope. All this was done by the Nidaime Hokage, Senju Tobirama." Naruko replied with a shake of her head as she examined the diagram with a critical eye, "It isn't all that well known, but he was a highly accomplished Master-level Sealmaster, trained by an Uzumaki. He was the one who originally created the _**Hiraishin no Jutsu **_that the Yondaime Hokage modified for his own use and made famous. Most of the original Clan Compounds have something similar to this set up, but it only comes online when the owning Clan of the compound is reduced to less than ten in number."

"To better protect them from their enemies." Zabuza nodded in understanding, "So it's impossible to get through the Kekkai?"

"Not impossible." Naruko corrected with a gesture at the diagram on the wall, "Just insanely difficult. In order to bypass the barrier, you have to set up a very powerful Fūinjutsu array that confounds the sensory array whilst simultaneously preventing the diagnostic array from detecting anything wrong with the sensory array. THEN you have to use _another_ Fūinjutsu to pierce a hole in the physical barrier, again making sure it isn't detected by the diagnostic array. Even then, you have a limited window before the regenerative back-up array kicks in and seals the hole, meaning you'd have to repeat the process from within. My mother could do it, Jiraya of the Densetsu no Sannin could do it, as could a handful of high-ranking people in various Hidden Villages across the Elemental Nations."

She gestured at the slight alteration on the design with a contemptful flick of her hand. "Whoever is doing this is trying to set it up slowly, over a period of time. Not only that, they seem to be trying to do it via a cobbled together method that doesn't work properly. Likely a mishmash of seal breaking methods mixed together by a Beginner-level Sealmaster. Amateur."

"Aren't you a Beginner-level Sealmaster as well?" Haku queried.

"Well yeah, but I'm also an Uzumaki." Naruko replied, her face tinged with a light blush, "We are naturally inclined towards Fūinjutsu and have produced some of the best Fūinjutsu users since the Rikudō Sennin Himself. With a bit of practice, Uzumaki can look at any given piece of Fūinjutsu just once and tell what it is generally capable of. That is a very, very rare talent."

"She's right." Zabuza nodded, "Some of the horror stories my sensei told me about the Trap Seals that the Uzumaki created make me glad that not a lot of their work remains."

"Not yet, but it will." Naruko said with a particularly evil grin, "Now, I'd better let Ji-chan know about this. I think I've just found out what Rinka's mysterious 'ANBU' were up to…"

_The Next Day_

_Just Before the Council Meeting_

"How do I look, Ji-chan?" Naruko asked as she twirled in front of her surrogate grandfather in her kimono, new hairdo and makeup.

"You look very pretty." Sarutobi told her with an honest smile, "It is very lucky that Kushina kept her official kimono in her apartment so we could make a rush order of it for your size. Danzō won't know what hit him."

"So he's the one behind the mysterious 'ANBU' that Rinka saw?" she asked.

"Yes. His personal force, called 'Ne', wear blank masks that superficially resemble ANBU masks from a distance." the old Hokage told her, "Up close, they are merely blank white, with the kanji for Ne below the right eyehole. I'd bet my hat that he wants the Uzu Archives."

"Unless he can get past an Uzumaki Blood-and-Chakra seal, he isn't going to have much luck at that." Naruko said with a grin, "Kaa-san was careful with the box. After I opened it for the first time, it locked down until I supplied it with my blood and chakra as a baseline key."

"Kushina always was sneaky." Sarutobi chuckled. Now, I'll head there first. When you hear me shout 'enough', that's your cue. Count to twenty and then enter."

"Got it." Naruko nodded with a barely suppressed grin. Pranking was her favourite hobby, and now her Ji-chan was going to help her prank his old teammates!

Life was good.

_After the Council Meeting_

_Streets of Konoha_

Naruko had to giggle as she recalled the dumbfounded expressions on two of her Ji-chan's three old teammates. The half-blind one hadn't reacted outwardly, but she could tell that he was absolutely furious by what she had helped the Hokage to do.

'_Shimura Danzō…so you are the one who wants to steal my heritage…_' Naruko thought as she walked along, the scroll for the Crow Contract tucked under one arm securely. She planned to sign it as soon as she got to her home. A tangible connection to her family…this was almost as good as when she had unearthed Benihime, or as it was now, Himiko.

She wasn't entirely certain how to go about it though…did she have to sign it with a particular hand, or did it actually matter? The Academy had never really talked about Summoning Contracts except when famous people had summoned powerful summons during an important battle. Never had they talked about how one actually went about signing the contracts.

It was irritating that she was clueless here, but she thought that she'd seen something about it in her mother's journal, so that was something at least. If all else failed, she'd ask her Ji-chan about it.

First things first though…she had to do something about the unsubtle tail she had picked up. It was a kid, had to be ten, at most. He wore a really long green scarf, like so long that he tripped up over it sometimes, a grey hat with a small ponytail of brown hair sticking out of the back, a yellow t-shirt with the Konohagakure symbol in the centre of the chest, grey shorts and blue Shinobi sandals.

He had been following her almost since she had left the Hokage Tower and boy, did his stealth skills suck ass. Naruko had spawned a couple of _**Kage Bunshin **_when she had gotten mixed in with a crowd of people and one of them had popped, showing her the boy doing a very poor rendition of _**Ninpō: Kakuremino no Jutsu**_. He had the lines of the cloth facing against the grain, it was the wrong colour and the cloth wasn't big enough to cover him entirely, leaving his feet sticking out at the bottom.

This kid really sucked at chakra concealment too. Naruko wasn't a sensor-type by any means, but she could still feel him from almost ten meters away. He had to be of Clan descent. No way would any civilian born Academy Student (and he had to be, given that he knew the basics of an E-Rank jutsu, albeit one that didn't require any chakra) have that much chakra at his age.

Naruko darted forwards, inwardly cursing her decision not to change out of her kimono yet. It was hard to run in it. Behind her, she could hear her tail start running as well.

'_That's right…follow me, little mouse…the cat's waiting._' she thought with a grin.

Zipping behind a building, Naruko didn't have to wait long before the boy ran past her. Extending a foot, she sent him sprawling on the ground with a loud cry of surprise.

"What cunning trap laid me low?!" he yelped as he started to get up.

"That would be a foot." Naruko said, lightly pushing him over again with said appendage, "Now who are you and why were you following me?"

"Who…?!" the boy gaped at her as he sat up. Then, for some odd reason, he grinned, showing a missing tooth. "I'm Sarutobi Konohamaru!"

"You're related to the Hokage?" Naruko was surprised. She had heard that Asuma-sensei was still dithering about how to ask Kurenai-sensei out, so who…? "Oh yeah…Ji-chan said he has two sons and a daughter…"

"My Otou-san's Sarutobi Asahi, Oji-sama's eldest son." the boy informed her proudly.

"Uh-huh…and you were sneaking after me because…_why_, exactly?" Naruko pressed.

"Oji-sama is always boasting proudly about you." Konohamaru said with a small scowl of jealousy, "So I wanted to see if you were as good as he said you were!"

"And you accomplished that by making it so obvious you have been following me that an idiot could find you?" Naruko asked sceptically, "What the hell have you been learning at the Academy anyway? I was better than you in my first year."

"I don't go to the Academy." the boy mumbled, kicking the ground dourly, "I have a private tutor called Ebisu-sensei. He sucks…"

"With your current skill level, I don't doubt it." Naruko agreed dryly, "So why aren't you with this seemingly useless sensei?"

"He went off to 'patrol for perverts' around the Hot Springs." Konohamaru replied with a giggle, "He's a closet pervert."

This made Naruko growl in feminine outrage. Why that…! "Looks like I've found my first pranking target. You want in after I get changed?"

"Pranking? Ebisu-sensei? Sure!" the kid seemed delighted, "What're we doing?"

"Something I heard from a year mate of mine." Naruko grinned, "She has a pervert for a Jonin-sensei and he used a specific move during a spar…"

_Later…_

_By the Hot Springs…_

"_**Konohagakure Hiden Taijutsu Ōgi: Sennen Goroshi! (Konohagakure Hidden Taijutsu Ultimate Technique: One Thousand Years of Death!)**_" Naruko shouted as she sent the sunglasses-wearing, black-clad man flying into the air from an overpowered ass-poke.

"_Gyyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh_!" Ebisu shrieked as he flew over the fence he had been peeping through and into the Women's Side of the outdoor Hot Spring…which just so happened to have Anko, Kurenai and several other Jonin-level kunoichi relaxing after a day on the job.

"Pervert!" came from the other side, accompanied by the sound of kunoichi gearing up for battle and Ebisu's panicked declarations of innocence.

Naruko beckoned at Konohamaru to follow her as she beat a safe retreat. He had distracted the man by flaring his chakra as he bounded towards his pervy sensei. This had the rough effect equal to banging a frying pan over the head of every chakra-using individual within range, making the unprepared flinch.

An opening Naruko had exploited ruthlessly.

"Now Konohamaru, what have you learned today?" she asked with mock solemnity.

"Always pay attention to your surroundings…_especially_ your rear!" the boy said with a slight shudder.

"And never be a pervert who gets his jollies by peeking at the ladies baths." Naruko added with a threatening crack of her knuckles, "Understood?"

"Hai, Ane-san!" the young Sarutobi saluted her quickly.

"What's with the 'Ane-san' bit?" Naruko asked. Why was he calling her 'Big Sis'?

"I'm impressed by you, so I wanna learn from ya!" the boy declared, "I'll get better learning from you than Ebisu the Hentai back there."

"True that." Naruko muttered, "Meh, why not? I have a week off. First order of business is to sort out that sham of a _**Kakuremino no Jutsu **_of yours. That is one of my favourite techniques and you can't pull it off worth a damn."

In short order, Naruko had taken the boy back to her house and helped him replace all his cloaks that he used for the disguise jutsu. He must have been price gouged for the ones he had…seriously, the one designed for snowy environments had _blue snow_, for crying out loud!

"Who gave you this stuff anyway?" she asked him as she looked out the set she had used when she was his age.

"Found 'em." Konohamaru confessed, "They were at the back of a theatre."

"Ah. _Theatrical_ _**Kakuremino**_ sheets. That makes so much sense." Naruko nodded. Those things were utter crap.

The next thing they worked on was improving his stealth. Specifically, suppressing his chakra signature. Generally, ninja had a lot less subtlety and control with their chakra than kunoichi did. Naruko was the exception to this rule. Her chakra was not anywhere close to being subtle and as for control? She was working on the Water Walking Exercise and she still had all the control of a concussed lemming.

Still, she was able to give Konohamaru some pointers. The fact the lucky boy could actually pull off the damn Leaf Sticking Exercise helped him a bit and he was able to suppress some of his chakra before Naruko sent him home for the day. He had some talent, it seemed.

"Ne, Naru-chan." a voice whispered in her ear as she settled down with her mother's journal, making her jump in fright.

Anko smirked as she sauntered around to stand in front of her lover, sans her trench coat.

"An-chan?!" Naruko said after she calmed down, "Jeez! Make a noise when you come in willya!"

"Niiinnnjaa!" Anko drawled, "So what's with you teaching the Honourable Grandson?"

"Who?" Naruko looked confused.

"The kid who was here until a moment ago." Anko replied.

"Wait…is that seriously what people call him?" the redhead asked, "Jeez, no wonder he was so happy when I asked him who he was."

"You've lost me." the Snake Mistress admitted.

"Do people call him that all the time?" Naruko asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Anko replied with a frown.

"Do you know what his name is?" Naruko asked.

"Err…not off the top of my head, no." Anko had to admit.

"And _this_ is why he was so happy; because I didn't do the whole 'Honourable Grandson' routine with him." Naruko stated with a shake of her head, "His name is Sarutobi Konohamaru. He's named after the damn village for crying out loud. To him, being called 'Honourable Grandson' all the time is like you being called the 'Snake Whore' or me being called the 'Demon Bitch' all the time. I'm also willing to be that this Ebisu guy is a right kiss up and says it a lot too…"

"Ebisu's his sensei?" Anko's eyebrows shot up, "Damn. You aren't wrong, Naru-chan. He calls himself an 'elite' tutor for future Hokage Candidates, but he has real low chakra reserves for a Jonin. Well, technically, he's only a Tokujō like me, but he carries himself like a full Jonin."

"Is he a 'Demon Bitch' person or a 'meh' person?" Naruko asked shrewdly.

"Sadly, the former." Anko frowned, "Once he figures out you're the one teaching the kid, he'll come and try and 'beat sense' into you."

"Meh. After fighting the Akuryō no Moriki and that Hachidoro Kaen guy, a closet pervert doesn't scare me." Naruko snorted in amusement.

"Speaking of…did you happen to have anything to do with him getting hit with a _**Sennen Goroshi **_earlier on?" Anko asked.

"Decided to cut his peeping short." Naruko shrugged, "Besides, I've wanted to try that move out for a while now."

"You do know that Nai-chan and a few of the other Genjutsu-puissant kunoichi gave him a guided tour of hell?" Anko asked in amusement, "Seriously, he was muttering about gay strip bars and Maito Gai when I left."

Naruko shuddered at the thought of the combination. "The poor man. Kurenai-sensei is ruthless!"

Anko shuddered as well. "Yeah…urgh. Anyway, why are you training the brat?"

"I'm training KONOHAMARU because I want to." Naruko said with an emphasis on the boy's name, "Seriously, Ebisu is an idiot and a poor sensei if Konohamaru's stealth skills are anything to go by. His silent movement is crap, he can't suppress his chakra worth a damn and his _**Kakuremino no Jutsu**_ used badly made theatre cloth."

"Ouch." Anko winced at that. The moron hadn't taken the time to correct the boy on a basic E-Rank Jutsu that didn't require any chakra? That's just stupid.

"I bet a hundred Ryo that he stands and lectures Konohamaru about proper conduct and all that crap." Naruko snorted, "Well, I have a week to knock the kid into shape, so let's see how I do."

"Awww…isn't that sweet!" Anko purred, "Little Naru-chan is teaching someone. How precious!"

"Gah. Enough with the cutesy talk, An-chan!" Naruko wrinkled her nose up in a rather adorable fashion, "Actually, I need to talk to you. You've signed the Snake Contract, right?"

"Duh." the Snake Mistress deadpanned at her lover.

"How exactly do you go about signing them?" Naruko asked, "Because I don't remember anything about that aspect in the Academy Curriculum that I review via my clones."

"Mostly cause Clan Children are taught that kinda thing by their Clan." Anko explained, "And with the high failure rate for the real Genin Exam, there's not much point telling such highly classified secrets to kids who aren't going to make the cut."

"OK. I've passed the Genin Exam, so spill!" the redhead pouted at her cutely.

'_Gah! Damn, that pout should be a Kinjutsu!_' Anko thought as she flushed slightly at how cute the pout made her lover look.

"OK, OK. Sheesh." the purple-haired woman said as she flapped a hand at Naruko, "Now put that pout away! Alright, good, now I'll give you a brief history on Summoning Contracts."

Anko took a moment to organise her thoughts before continuing, "No one, not even the Clans of Summons themselves, know when the first contract was made, although the Rikudō Sennin is rumoured to have summoned animals of all descriptions. What is known is that the first four contracts recorded in history were the Toad Contract, the Snake Contract, the Crow Contract and the Mongoose Contract.

Originally, there were a whole host of rituals to go through in order to sign a contract -fasting, meditation and all that jazz- but eventually, someone figured out how to used Fūinjutsu to connect the realm of a particular summon animal to a scroll, only requiring the one who signs a contract to sign it in blood to link themselves to the Clan."

"So…you have to sign a contract in blood? That's it?" Naruko asked sceptically.

"Nope." Anko replied, "Once the candidate has signed the contract, full or partial, they can summon regular animals without a problem. The more battle ready summons are sentient and self-aware, meaning you usually have to earn the right to summon them, usually by completing a trial or test. Occasionally, you have to pay a price for summoning them in addition to your blood and chakra.

To give an extreme example of the last one; Manda, the Boss Summon of the Snake Contract. He requires you sacrifice a hundred live humans to him every time he is summoned. Gamabunta, Boss Summon of the Toad Contract, tests the person who summons him AND requires a large cask of sake as a summoning payment."

"Yikes!" Naruko muttered.

"Yeah, it's extreme." Anko shrugged, "On the bright side though, if you pass the test of the Boss Summon of a Contract, you can freely summon any of the other summons. You earn their respect by passing the harshest test of their entire Clan."

"Hmmm…" Naruko mused before patting the black scroll next to her, "This is the Crow Contract, the Summoning Contract of the Uzumaki Clan. Ji-chan had it found for me."

"Wow." Anko said. She had heard some stories from the Snake King Hakuten about the Crow Clan. Immensely loyal to their summoners, ferocious in battle and highly diverse in their various abilities, they were one reason that the Uzumaki Clan was so feared in battle.

"Yeah, except I had no idea how to sign a contract. Now I do." Naruko said matter-of-factly, "Think I'll wait until tomorrow to do anything though. Now I'm too damn tired to sign anything and deal with what happens afterwards."

"Ah-ah-ah-ah!" Anko said with a wag of her finger, "Remember what I said back in Morimura?"

"Aw crap." Naruko moaned.

"Yep. Sucks to be you." the evil woman grinned, "Welcome to hell. Population: you."

_Next Day_

_Uzumaki Estate Grounds_

"Whoa!" Konohamaru gasped as he caught sight of Naruko, "Aneki! What happened to you!?"

"Let's just say you should never mess with your Jonin-sensei or get them pissed at you and leave it at that." Naruko replied sourly. She had her red hair done up in twintails, secured with wire so she would have to cut her hair off to get rid of them. She also had light makeup on her face that concealed the bags under her eyes from being kept up doing taijutsu kata almost all night.

Mentally swearing vengeance on her lover, Naruko made Konohamaru run through everything he'd been taught the previous day to make sure it had sunk in.

'_Not bad…a few mistakes, but not all that many considering it was only about three hours of work._' she thought as she observed the young Sarutobi working to conceal his chakra. It was not an easy task, even for a Chunin-rank Shinobi, but he was making decent progress.

"Alright, that's enough." she said after he started struggling to get past a certain point, "Practice that in your own time. Now, what do you know about Chakra?"

"Mental and physical energy that combine to be used for nin- and gen- jutsu." he replied promptly.

"Uh-huh…" Naruko looked at him as he read from a scroll, one of her eyes twitching slightly, "Try memorising it so you don't have to carry a basic scroll around. Now, how are you with the Academy Three?"

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah, you don't go to the Academy…I mean the _**Henge no Jutsu**_, the _**Kawarimi no Jutsu **_and the _**Bunshin no Jutsu**_." Naruko elaborated.

"I suck at them." Konohamaru replied glumly, "My _**Henge**_ looks like an oversized putty model, I can't replace myself with anything and my clones come out looking like they haven't eaten in days."

This last one resonated with Naruko's own experiences with the damn jutsu.

"Do you try and make only one clone at a time?" she asked knowingly.

"Err…yeah…that's what the scroll says to do." Konohamaru replied uncertainly.

"Knew it." the Uzumaki Heiress chuckled, "The problem with the general scroll is that it doesn't take into account those born with more chakra than normal, like me and you. I was terrible with the _**Bunshin**_ myself. Try using the same amount for three clones rather than one."

"OK." the boy shrugged and ran through the handsigns, "_**Ninpō: Bunshin no Jutsu!**_"

In a puff of smoke, three perfect illusory clones of one Sarutobi Konohamaru appeared, before one fizzled out.

"Huh…OK, so two and a half clones. A bit more chakra and you'd have three clones." Naruko muttered, "How are you at the Leaf Sticking Exercise? I know you said you can do it, but you didn't say how well."

"About thirty seconds." Konohamaru confessed with an embarrassed flush.

"Better than me. I shred the stupid thing the moment it goes on my head." Naruko said with a snort, "That's why I am really glad that there's more advanced chakra control exercises that you learn once you become a genin."

Konohamaru hadn't heard of anyone literally _shredding_ a leaf during the Leaf Sticking Exercise. That would require someone to have a bucket load of chakra to accomplish, and even then if they only had a somewhat tenuous control over it.

"Anyway, my friends tell me that it just takes practice once you've got it over twenty seconds." Naruko continued, "Practice it in your spare time. Now show me your _**Henge**_. Turn into Iruka-sensei."

A puff of smoke later, her jaw dropped. Konohamaru had turned into what was very much like an overstuffed, human-sized doll-like version of Iruka. All the details were there, but the body they were on was completely wrong. Only a blind man would be fooled by this so-called _**Henge**_!

"A bit of a relief I didn't ask you to become me!" she muttered, "Alright, so your eye for detail is good; your eye for body shape and structure is something out of an impressionist painting though."

"It just keeps coming out like that." the boy sagged slightly as he ended the abortion of a transformation jutsu, "I'll never pass at this rate!"

"Hey, hold your horses' kiddo." Naruko bopped him lightly on his head, "If I can pass without being able to do a proper _**Bunshin**_, I think you can manage it. You just need to work hard. Lessee…"

She thought for a moment before a grin split her face. Why not?

"I have a jutsu that is a variant of the Henge…it was able to KO the Hokage." she said with a casual air, "If you manage a credible _**Bunshin**_ by the end of the week, I'll teach it to you."

"One that can beat Oji-sama!? You bet!"

You would think she had just offered to introduce him to Senju Hashirama with how excited he was.

"OK, the important thing is to examine your target well." Naruko began as she _**Henge'd**_ into Iruka and assumed his lecture stance, "A _**Henge**_ will not work properly unless you take the time to study and memorise your target's body shape and bone musculature. The Uchiha, with their _**Sharingan**_, could instantly memorise a person's appearance and perform a _**Henge**_ with the greatest of ease. The rest of us do not have that option, so we have to train ourselves to memorise a person's features as quickly as possible."

"I've seen Iruka-sensei at the Academy, but I've never seen him lecture before." Konohamaru said in awe, "Is he like that all the time?"

Naruko poofed back to her real form and shook her head, "Nope. I just cut out a load of boring techno babble that he put in. What I told you was the essentials without the useless dross that would just confuse you."

"Huh…Guess Udon and Moegi were right about him then." he muttered.

"Who're they? Friends of yours?" she asked curiously.

"Mitokado Udon and Utatane Moegi." Konohamaru replied, "We're friends. Have been for ages."

Naruko nodded and sighed, "I think those two will probably be your teammates when you graduate, Konohamaru."

She noticed him perking up when she called him by his name before he frowned.

"Why?" he asked.

"Team Tobirama was made up of four individuals, excluding the Nidaime Hokage himself; Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and Shimura Danzō." she replied, "Danzō has no offspring and none of the children of the two Elder Councillors wanted to be in the Shinobi Forces, so Sarutobi Asuma wasn't put on a team with them. With the three of you…they'll likely put you together to see if you can be as effective as your grandparents were."

Konohamaru scowled. "Aw man! How am I supposed to prove the equal of Oji-sama?! He's the freaking Sandaime Kami no Shinobi for crying out loud!"

"Calmly does it." Naruko said, "Answer this: do you get on well with Moegi and Udon? Do you trust them?"

"Well…yeah." the boy nodded.

"Better to be on a team with people you get on with and trust rather than people you don't." Naruko told him, "I bet you have a couple of people you wouldn't wanna be on a team with, right?"

"Yeah, I guess." Konohamaru said with a small frown, "But do they have to do this? I wanna be known as me, no-!"

He clammed up as soon as he realised what he had been about to say.

"I'll listen if you wanna talk, Konohamaru." Naruko offered.

The boy sighed and sat on the grass, with Naruko following suit. The Sarutobi Scion scowled at the grass for a moment before he spoke.

"All my life, people have made a big deal of the fact that I'm Sarutobi Hiruzen's grandson. The grandson of the sitting Hokage. They all call me 'Honourable Grandson' and I hate it. It's like I'm not even a person, just a way for people to suck up to my grandfather. I'm named after the village, so why is it so hard to call me by my name?"

"Ebisu as well?" Naruko asked gently.

"Everybody except my Clan, Udon and Moegi." Konohamaru scowled again, then added, "And you too, Aneki."

"Thanks." Naruko said before she laid back on the grass and watched the clouds like Shikamaru liked to do before she started to speak again, "I see that it must be so frustrating for you. Does it have anything to do with why you followed me yesterday?"

"Kinda. I started wanting to prove that I could beat my Oji-sama and take his hat, so I started launching surprise attacks on him." the boy replied, looking embarrassed as he did so, "None of them worked, so I gave up after a month. When he started talking to Kaa-san and Tou-san about you, I could tell he was proud of you and he respected you, so I thought if I could get you to teach me, he'd respect me like that as well. But first…"

"But first you had to see if there was truth to the hype." Naruko finished for him, "Yeah, I can see that. Thing is, it'll take a lot of work to become Hokage. It's not as easy as it sounds. You have to master a thousand jutsu in order to qualify. I'm two years older than you and I know twenty or so, including the Academy Three. Just that portion is hard, but you also have to be a leader and rise up the ranks at the same time. Genin, Chunin, Tokujō, Jonin and Elite Jonin…the higher you are, the more likely you are to get chosen."

She looked over at Konohamaru, who was looking at her raptly.

"Sadly for you, I plan on becoming Hokage as well so if you want the hat, you are going to have to beat me first."

_Three Days Later_

It took Ebisu a bit longer than she anticipated to find out Konohamaru had taken to coming over to her estate. If Naruko had to guess why, she would hazard that the man's brush with genjutsu-inflicted hell had shaken him rather badly, which wasn't much of a surprise…(shudder).

When he did come along, it took him a couple of hours to figure out that not only were the walls treated to repel chakra to prevent a marginally trained Shinobi from walking up them, but there was also a Kekkai shaped like a dome covering the estate, meaning he could not simply jump over the wall either.

Talking to the guards was useless. Ringo and Rinka pointedly informed him that perverts who were punished by the Genjutsu Mistress of Konoha would have to make an appointment before being allowed inside the estate.

After a series of spluttering denials and tenacious argument, the bandana-wearing Tokujō stomped off in frustration. Naruko sent a couple of _**Kage Bunshin**_ to tailing him and, as expected, he was headed for the Hokage Tower.

Leaving Konohamaru under the supervision of a troop of Shadow Clones, Naruko quickly travelled to the Hokage Tower's roof via her _**Kaze Shunshin**_, she headed down to the Hokage's office and entered it.

"Yo, Ji-chan," she called as she entered, "Got a problem headed this way."

"Oh?" Sarutobi looked up from his paperwork with thinly veiled relief, "And what problem might that be?"

Swiftly and succinctly, she outlined her training of Konohamaru and Ebisu taking umbrage to it.

"Hmmm…by the sounds of it, he did more lecturing rather than teaching…or even assessing my grandson's abilities." the Hokage said with a sigh, "Why did I let Asahi talk me into hiring him again?"

A knock on the door alerted them to someone's presence right before Ebisu stormed in, glasses flashing.

"Hokage-sama, I-!" he started before he caught sight of Naruko.

"What is it that is so important that you feel justified in barging in on one of my meetings, Tokubetsu Jonin Ebisu?" the Hokage asked icily.

"H-Hokage-sama, the Honourable Grandson has been playing truant from his lessons with me and going off to…_Genin _Uzumaki's residence." he spluttered, "When I attempted to retrieve him today, the guards would not allow me access to the estate!"

"After you tried to walk and jump over the walls, you mean." Naruko said in a mildly bored voice, "That's a crime, by the way."

"What?!" the man gaped at Naruko incredulously.

"Perfectly true." Sarutobi stated with a neutral face, "Attempting to infiltrate a Clan Residence is a B-Rank crime."

"Hokage-sama!?" Ebisu was beside himself, "I was attempting to reacquire my wayward charge, your grandson!"

"Your remit does not include breaking and entering a Clan estate, especially not the Clan estate belonging to my surrogate granddaughter." Sarutobi said frostily, "In addition, I assigned Genin Uzumaki a mission to assess Konohamaru's skills up to this point. I am sorry that were uninformed, but until today, you were indisposed, I believe?"

"Kurenai-sensei." Naruko said simply, "Gai-sensei and gay strip clubs."

All the occupants of the room shuddered at such a combination of images before banishing them from their minds.

"Regardless of that, Genin Uzumaki has given me her report and, I must say that I am somewhat shocked at how poor his skills were." Sarutobi said as he was used to horrible images flashing through his mind, "No stealth training, improper equipment, improperly taught jutsu…do tell when you planned to actually teach him anything rather than talk his ear off all day?"

"A solid theoretical foundation is necessary in order to understand the practical aspects of Ninjutsu, as well as the other aspects of a Shinobi's life!" Ebisu protested.

"Lengthy explanations using overcomplicated words that a ten year old has no chance of understanding is not a foundation even as solid as _sand_!" the Hokage barked, "My grandson has learned more in the past _five days _from a _fresh_ _genin_ than he has under _your entire tenure as his tutor_! And endless days of theory are of no use without practical demonstrations and lessons to provide a solid link to solidify them!"

Ebisu flinched at this.

"I…" he started.

"No. You are on your second and **final **chance as his tutor." Sarutobi told him firmly, "In addition, he will be attending regular classes at the Academy as he _should_ have been doing this entire time. Your duties will be to give him additional training to reinforce and build upon what he learns there, as well as any additional training in other subjects that he requests, within reason. No lecturing either."

"…hai, Hokage-sama." Ebisu sagged slightly as he replied.

"Hokage-sama, might I suggest that Tokujō Ebisu observes an additional rule?" Naruko spoke up.

"What were you thinking of, Genin Uzumaki?" Sarutobi asked gravely. Ebisu looked worried at what the Kyūbi Brat was up to.

"Your grandson despises being addressed as the 'Honourable Grandson' , as it implies he is only worth respecting due to his relation to yourself." she replied, "I would suggest that the rule he operates under should be that he is forbidden to use that particular title and should address Konohamaru with his name. I have found that it encourages him to listen and obey much better."

Sarutobi nodded, finally finding a reason why his usually cheerful grandson was always so sour after coming back from one of the man's tutoring sessions. "I think that is a very good idea and it is so ordered. You are dismissed, Ebisu."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Ebisu said in a defeated manner before retreating. Just as he reached the door, however, Naruko spoke up and addressed him.

"A bit of advice, Ebisu-sensei." she said politely, "You might want to speak with Umino Iruka-sensei at the Academy. He has a lot of experience dumbing things down so that kids can understand complicated subjects reasonably well. From what I have been given to understand, you haven't taught someone as young as Konohamaru before, so you should seek guidance from someone with experience in that area."

Inside the man's head, Ebisu was confused. Why was the Demon Bitch, the infamous Container of the accursed Kyūbi no Yōko, suggesting something that could help him? He was thoroughly confused and decided to speak with Iruka, who had been the container's Academy Sensei as well, if he recalled correctly. He'd likely have an explanation for all this.

"I…shall do that." he said carefully, "My thanks for the advice, Uzumaki-san."

With that he took his leave.

Once the door shut, Sarutobi sighed.

"I really wish Asahi had thought to ask me who would make a good tutor for a preteen boy. Ebisu was not my choice." he grumbled, "Those societal harpies that are Kaori's friends suggested him. Well, at least now Konohamaru is going to be taken care of properly. I must thank you Naruko-chan."

"It's OK." the kunoichi shook her head slightly, "He kinda reminded me of how I was when I was younger. I hated the little titles that the villagers called me, so I ran wild a bit. Like the time I lured that pack of cats into the Inuzuka kennels."

Sarutobi withheld a shudder at the mention of that incident. Inuzuka Tsume had almost been frothing at the mouth during the aftermath, due to the fact that a lot of the Inuzuka, for some strange reason, had allergies to cats, so a quarter of her clan had been sneezing like nobodies business.

"Yes…please don't do that again." the old man said almost pleadingly.

"Don't worry; I only prank those who deserve it these days." Naruko smiled evilly.

Making a note to prepare the ANBU for a Code Orange drill ASAP, the old Hokage moved on.

"I am curious as to when you are going to start on Hinata and Ino's Injutsu classes." he said casually.

"Tomorrow or the day after at the latest." Naruko replied with a slight blush, "Ino-chan needed some time to come to terms with her first kills, same with Hinata, although not nearly to the same extent."

"I thought as much." the village ruler nodded, "What of yourself?"

"I…it didn't really bother me…that _**Juinjutsu**_ user and the bandits." Naruko replied hesitantly, "They were going to hurt innocent people and everything, so…does that make me a bad person?"

"No." Sarutobi said firmly, "It makes you decisive. You saw a threat to your teammates and innocent life and you took action to stop it. You know that you do not need to feel guilty, so you do not. Some people have that sort of mindset."

Naruko smiled at that. "Thanks, Ji-chan. Anyway, Ino-chan took it pretty hard, so I thought being back at home with Inoichi-san would help."

"He has been in to see me and it has." Sarutobi told her reassuringly, "Apparently you laid a good foundation for him to build on. He'll thank you for that himself at a later date."

"What about Hinata-chan?" Naruko asked.

"You mean your girlfriend?" Sarutobi asked with a chuckle. Watching Naruko blush was a rare treat.

"J-Ji-chan!" the Uzumaki Heiress yelped in embarrassment.

"You do realise that it is quite natural for the Clan Heads to know about your relationship with Hinata-chan." he pointed out mildly, "You are dating the Heiress to one of the last Noble Clans of Konoha and her status as a lesbian will shift the power dynamic in the Hyūga Clan and by extension, their allies and the rest of the village."

"Not really." Naruko disagreed, "Hinata told me that it was pretty much set that Hanabi is going to be the next Clan Head. She's just holding the position of Heiress until she turns sixteen and has that…_abomination_ of a seal put on her head."

Seeing Naruko's hands clench almost hard enough to draw blood, Sarutobi decided to move on.

"Yes, well…I would follow your tenant's advice regarding the Uzumaki Clan's traditions and societal customs." Sarutobi said with a small smile, "You shall find it…enlightening, to say the least."

"If you say so." Naruko said with a shrug, "Seriously, if they try anything, I'm very tempted to look out the _**Utsushi no Fūin (Reflection Seal) **_and asking Hinata if she wants it put on her."

"I cannot say that I have heard of such a seal." Sarutobi stated with interest.

"It's a counter for _**Juinjutsu**_." Naruko explained, "The application, anyway. It sends the _**Juinjutsu**_ back at the person attempting to apply it. It only works once per seal and a person can only have one _**Utsushi no Fūin**_ on their body at a time, but it is effective. Unfortunately it is beyond my skills at the moment."

"I take it that the _**Utsushi no Fūin **_is one of the Hiden Fūinjutsu of the Uzumaki Clan?" Sarutobi asked.

"No, it's the first seal that an Uzumaki learns once they are on the final leg of their Advanced Sealmaster training." Naruko replied, "All Uzumaki had one on them to prevent something like the Caged Bird Seal from being used on them."

"Hmmm….inform me about it once you get to the level that you think you might be able to create such a seal." Sarutobi directed her, "I can think of a few deep infiltration spies that this would be highly beneficial for. The amount that are killed by a nasty _**Juinjutsu**_ in the line of duty is rising sharply."

"That…shouldn't be happening." Naruko said in bafflement, "_**Juinjutsu**_ are some of the most complicated pieces of Fūinjutsu in existence. You need to be an Advanced Sealmaster _at least _before attempting to _copy_ a _**Juinjutsu**_, let alone try and _create_ one of your own. It's why Orochimaru was such an idiot for just banging two dozen seals together and hoping it would work. A one-in-ten survival rate is a failure, not a success or even a draw. With the Uzumaki Clan gone and Jiraya of the Sannin on our side, there is only one source that could be using such advanced Fūinjutsu…"

"Yes, these so-called Clans of Darkness." Sarutobi frowned, "I have correlated the reports from those who have died as a result of a _**Juinjutsu**_ and over half of them filed a report citing a large presence of Hōrō-nin nearby. Shortly afterwards, they just…vanished and turned up dead, a mark indicative of a _**Juinjutsu**_ being used on their forehead."

"That's a sign of a badly put together one." Naruko commented absently as she thought about it, "The Caged Bird Seal is a horrible Seal, but it leaves the target unmarked externally and vanishes completely once it has fulfilled the death-sealing of the Byakugan. Are there any photos of the seal marks?"

"I'll have them sent to you via an ANBU tonight." the Hokage nodded, "This is a High-A-Rank secret, so treat it appropriately. Report to me once you have determined anything about the seal."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." Naruko nodded, "I should go and tell Konohamaru about Ebisu and the Academy. Or would you prefer to do it yourself?"

"I'd like to do so. It would be nice to see a smile on his face at news from me." the Hokage said wistfully.

"OK then." Naruko nodded, "Later, Ji-chan. I'll have Konohamaru back in time for dinner."

She withdrew a scroll from her trenchcoat and dropped it on the desk with a wink before vanishing in a puff of smoke. His interest piqued, Sarutobi picked it up, unfurled it and read it.

'_Oh-ho…very clever._' he thought as he read on, '_Uh-huh…hold on, what's this?_'

When he reached the bottom of the scroll, a seal flared, destroying the scroll silently and leaving nary a trace. A timed destruction seal.

"Danzō…when you poke a hornet's nest...expect to be stung." the old man muttered to himself with a smile before returning to his paperwork.

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**Next Chapter: Anko-sama's Injutsu Lessons**

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	28. Anko-sama's Injutsu Lessons

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/ Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 28: Anko-sama's Injutsu Lessons**

_Next Day_

_Clan Archives, Hokage Tower_

Kurenai sighed as she closed the book in front of her. She had been doing research about the Clan Laws and traditions to find out if Naruko had been playing her during the missions they had been on recently.

Much to her chagrin, she had not.

The Spoil system, set up by the Nidaime Hokage, had been a polite way of holding a foreign shinobi hostage, as well as a way to keep prisoners under control. Only Uzushiogakure had had Fūinjutsu skills to equal or surpass the Nidaime Hokage, so it had been the only one of the other villages to adopt the Spoil system fully…including the Fūinjutsu collars.

Taking a spoil was deemed a polite way to capture an enemy without cutting their ligaments and was recognised by all of the villages and countries as such. The only country to not acknowledge spoils, Sora no Kuni (The Land of Sky) had been destroyed during the Second Great Shinobi War. To not acknowledge spoils was akin to declaring a 'no prisoners, no mercy, no quarter' attitude.

Exactly as Naruko had stated, the consequences for abandoning the spoil system were not worth it.

The red-eyed woman had then turned her attention to Naruko's switching between Hitai-ate. Surely, that couldn't be legal, despite what Kakashi said.

It was.

A shinobi who has rank in another allied hidden village could switch between Hitai-ate as his or her duties demanded. Further, an Ambassador, as Naruko was, had more leeway in that regard. Still, there were limits. Naruko could only swap her Hitai-ate when a part of the treaty between Uzu and Konoha was invoked or if she had urgent information for her superiors.

'_Trying to discipline Naruko will make me look like a fool._' Kurenai thought in frustration, '_Just about the only thing I can discipline her about is deliberately running off to confront the Demon Tree and she was the only person who could possibly defeat it, so doing that would make me look petty!_'

The fresh Jonin was frustrated by a lot of things. Her inability to hold Naruko back, her inability to stop Hinata and Ino from becoming lesbians (or revealing herself as a lesbian, in Hinata's case) and her feeling of powerlessness when confronted with how weak she was compared to her peers.

Asuma, Kakashi, Gai and Anko were all so much stronger than she was. Her taijutsu was barely sufficient for her rank, her Ninjutsu was so-so and Genjutsu, her prized art, was mostly useful against the weak of mind, which wasn't a common occurrence among top-level shinobi. Her other skills as a kunoichi were average at best or, in the case of Injutsu and seduction, non-existent.

"I need to train more." Kurenai admitted aloud.

"Need a hand with that?" a familiar female voice asked mischievously from behind her. The raven-haired Jonin jumped in surprise and whirled around.

"Anko!" Kurenai growled in irritation, "! Don't sneak up on me!"

"Niiiinnnja~!" the Snake Mistress sang smugly, "So, realising how much you suck?"

"Excuse me?" Kurenai asked frostily.

"Face it, Nai-chan." Anko said seriously, "Genjutsu skills with your level of control and finesse may be powerful, but you are way too overspecialised, to the point that aside from Doton Ninjutsu, you have very little in the way of alternate attacking strategies."

Reluctantly, Kurenai sagged in agreement. She had the mastery of her chosen specialty, but it had come with the stagnation of all her other combat skills. She couldn't even remember the last time she had learned a new Ninjutsu or a new Shurikenjutsu. Hell, even her best attack, _**Magen: Jubaku Satsu Bakuhatsu**_, was just using explosive tags while the enemy was locked in a genjutsu.

"I really am a useless Jonin-sensei." she sighed.

"You aren't." Anko corrected her, "Naru-chan loves the chakra exercises you came up with to increase her control, and your skills with genjutsu taught her how to interrogate those two bodyguard morons of Gatō's."

"Huh?" Kurenai was confused.

"She made two shadow clones and _**Henge'd**_ them into Gai and his mini-Gai and made them do that _**Warenai Yūhi no Jutsu**_." Anko said with a shudder, "Then, when they still wouldn't break after that, she changed them into Gai and Lee…in red fundoshi. THEN they did the _**Warenai Yūhi no Jutsu**_."

Kurenai blanched at the thought and banished the images her mind had conjured up to well-deserved oblivion. "Dear Kami, that is _evi_l!"

"I know, right?" Anko grinned, "She said she took the idea from some of the rumours about you putting people in Genjutsu for being pervy."

The ravenette scowled when she thought about the number of idiot perverts that seemed to infest Konoha. Really.

"Turn that frown upside down." Anko said with a finger flick to Kurenai's Hitai-ate, "How about a deal? You give me a few tips on genjutsu, 'cause I'm not too good with that stuff, and I'll help you learn a few Shurikenjutsu to up your options. What's your second Elemental Affinity again?"

"Suiton." Kurenai replied, "I only know a couple of D and C Rank Jutsu for it though."

"Naru-chan'll probably let you borrow some Suiton scrolls from her collection." Anko said with a grin, "Remember that Doton and Suiton are two of the three most common jutsu types in the Uzu Archives."

"But-!" Kurenai started.

"Nai-chan, enough useless pride already." Anko said firmly, "I hate Orochimaru with all my life and soul, but one thing he told me holds true: that a teacher learns as much from his or her student as the student learns from the teacher. Let Naru-chan help you out."

"This was her idea, wasn't it?" Kurenai asked.

"Eh…call it a collaboration of me and her." Anko shrugged, "She figured you'd be down in the dumps, so she wanted to do something to cheer you up."

The Jonin felt touched that Naruko had been concerned about her, but focussed back on the issue at hand.

"That deal sounds good. Thank you, Anko." she said with a smile.

"Meh. What're friends for?" the purple-haired woman dismissed airily, "You'd do the same for me. Now, let's get busy."

Kurenai sighed as she put the scrolls she had been reading away. She had a feeling that she would be busy in the future, between training herself, training her genin and the Chunin Exams that were only two days away from starting.

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_Later_

_Back Garden, Uzumaki Compound_

Naruko knelt on the ground and gazed at the unfurled scroll before her. Listed down it were dozens of names written in blood…all of them Uzumaki, except one…Uchiha Itachi.

Naruko had conflicted feelings about leaving his name on the list. On one hand, he had murdered his entire clan. On the other, his entire clan had been a bunch of cowards and bullies who picked on her AND he had saved her life.

Two vs. one meant that his name stayed on, she decided.

What was puzzling was that the last Uzumaki name on the scroll was not 'Uzumaki Kushina' as she had expected; it was 'Uzumaki Tatsuya', the name of her grandfather. Had her mother not signed the contract? Why?

Puzzled as she was, Naruko had decided to sign the contract today. Anko had finally stopped tying her hair into twintails at night and had told her the knowledge she sought. It didn't matter which hand you used to make a contract.

In the rare cases of Dual Contractors in the past, what was important was to focus on which summon clan you wished to call forth as you made the handsigns and called out the jutsu name.

For example, _**Saru Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Monkey Summoning Jutsu)**_ or _**Karasu Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Crow Summoning Jutsu)**_. With practice, one can even specify which summon to bring out, such as specifically summoning the Boss Summon of the clan you choose to summon.

Biting her thumb, Naruko hurriedly wrote her name in blood in the open section beneath Itachi's name. She waited for the blood to dry before furling it up again. Naruko then made the handsigns for the summoning jutsu and slammed her bleeding hand onto the ground.

"_**Karasu Kuchiyose no Jutsu!**_" she called out. She placed a moderate amount of chakra into it, about as much as it took for a full-power _**Katon: Endan**_.

An explosion of smoke erupted as the Fūinshiki traced itself around her hand. When it cleared, a single crow the size of a Labrador stood before Naruko, looking perplexed. It wore a golden helmet with a sun symbol engraved on it and golden armour lined the shoulders and front of its wings. The crow also had grey-black feathers.

"What the…summoned?!" the crow spoke in a high-pitched female voice as its beak opened and shut, "By who?! Who dares?!"

"I, Uzumaki Naruko, have summoned you." Naruko said firmly. She had checked the Uzu Archive for anything to do with the Crow Clan and had discovered that they were very…mistrustful…of anyone outside of the Uzumaki Clan, which was why no one but the Uzumaki could summon the sentient members of the clan, relegated to a partial contract.

Thanks to her mother never signing the contract, the Crow Clan likely believed the Uzumaki to be wiped out and it would require proof to believe her, as well as a more formal manner of speech.

"An Uzumaki?!" the bird bated, seemingly disturbed by the idea, "Don't be foolish. The Uzumaki were wiped out twenty years ago! Tell me who you truly are!"

"I am the daughter of Uzumaki Kushina, who was in this village of Konohagakure during the destruction of Uzushiogakure." Naruko replied, "For reasons unknown, she did not sign the contract before she was murdered after my birth. I have just now signed the contract and hope to rekindle the ancient compact between the Crow Clan and the Uzumaki Clan."

"Kushina? Dead? Oh boy…" the crow muttered, "Ojii-sama isn't going to be happy to hear that."

"Excuse me, but could you tell me who you are and who your grandfather is?" Naruko asked politely.

"Oh. I'm Kurikara." the crow replied, "My grandfather, Yatagarasu, is the Boss Summon of the Crow Tribe and was Uzumaki Tatsuya's personal summon."

Naruko's eyes widened at that. Summoning a sentient battle crow was one thing, but she had managed to summon a _blood relative _of the _boss Summon_ of the Clan on her _first try_.

'_The Fox must still be holding off from interfering in with my chakra control._' Naruko concluded.

"I'll have to go back and tell Ojii-sama about you." Kurikara informed Naruko, "Do you actually have any proof of who you are?"

The Uzumaki Heiress drew Himiko from its sheath and showed it to Kurikara. "This is the Treasure Sword of the Uzumaki, known to your grandfather as Kōyō. It was then my mother's weapon, known as Benihime. Now it is my weapon, known as Himiko."

Kurikara hopped closer and examined it with one eye. "Hoooh? Indeed, it is as has been described by Yatagarasu-Ojii-sama. I will take this information back to the clan…Naruko-san."

With another puff of chakra smoke, Kurikara vanished, returning to her realm, Nikkōyama (Sunlight Mountain). Naruko resheathed her blade and picked up the contract scroll before heading back into her house.

"Finished already?" Zabuza asked as he looked up from sharpening one of the new blades Naruko had commissioned at his recommendation to upgrade the defences of the estate.

"Yeah, for the moment." Naruko replied, "It might take a while for the Crow Clan to decide to send someone to verify who I am, so that's all I can do in regard to that today. I'd better head off and commission that sword you wanted for Haku-nee-chan."

It had been a request that Zabuza had made the previous day. Haku couldn't hope to wield his Kubikiribōchō as of yet, so he had asked, rather gruffly, that Naruko have a similar sword made for her, albeit much less heavy.

"OK. Haku, go with her so you can be measured for the sword." Zabuza ordered, "It has to be the very limit of what you can wield effectively, understand?"

"Hai, Zabuza-sama." Haku nodded. She was wearing a light-blue kimono with the Uzumaki Spiral on it. The sleeves had little pockets inside them so she could store senbon inside them for self-defence purposes. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail similar to Naruko's own.

"OK then, Haku-nee." Naruko grinned, "Follow me."

_Streets of Konoha_

"Naruko-sama, where is it that we are going?" Haku asked. She walked exactly two paces behind the redhead, on her right.

"A senpai of mine works part time at her parent's Ninja Weapons shop." Naruko replied, "Anko-sensei tells me they're the best in Konoha. If they really like you, they sometimes forge custom weapons. If it's me, I think they might make this sword that Zabuza-san wants you to have."

The two walked in silence until the unobtrusive entrance to Higurashi Weapons and Apparels was before them. Naruko led the way in, leaving Haku to follow her and gape in amazement, much as Naruko had at first, at the plethora of weapons that filled the shop. Behind the counter was Tenten.

"Naruko-san?" she said with a smile, "Welcome back. How was your mission out of the village?"

"Full of unexpected happenings." Naruko replied, "Tenten-san, this is Yuki Haku, my spoil. Haku, this is Higurashi Tenten, a kunoichi one year ahead of me and one of the best Shurikenjutsu users in Konoha aside from Anko-sensei."

"Spoil?!" Tenten yelped. Haku revealed her collar as proof and the bun-haired girl's jaw dropped.

"Yeah…I kinda had to take her as a Spoil, otherwise…" Naruko trailed off, "Let's just say the alternative would have been…unpleasant."

"What do you mean?" Tenten asked with a frown.

"Show her." Naruko ordered Haku, who made the Crossed-Tiger Handsign.

"_**Hyōton: **__**Hitsurugi (Ice Style: Ice Sword)**_" she said, and a katana made of ice grew in midair. Haku grabbed it and made three almost perfect slices in the air with it.

"Whoa!"

"Haku has an elemental Kekkei Genkai, the Hyōton of Mizu no Kuni." Naruko explained to a wide-eyed Tenten, "If those old fogies on the Council had it there way, they'd activate the female section of the Clan Restoration Act and turn her into a brood mare, popping out a new Yuki Clan until her body gave out. By taking her as a Spoil for the Uzumaki Clan, they can't touch her…legally."

"They wouldn't?!" the other girl gasped.

"Bet on it they would, especially the three elders." Naruko replied in disgust, "The Shinobi side isn't a worry; it's the Civilian Council that's a problem, aside from Councillor Haruno and her allies. The civs around here are Bloodline crazy, so any new bloodlines are practically dragged in. The spoil thing is only until Jii-chan defangs the council."

"I see." Tenten nodded, "So, how can I help you?"

"Haku needs a sword." Naruko answered, "Her sensei says it had to be the largest and heaviest sword she can safely wield at the moment. If necessary, one has to be custom made for her."

"Her sensei? I thought she was a Spoil?" Tenten asked in surprise.

"Yeah…about that…" Naruko said sheepishly.

"My sensei is Momochi Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist." Haku said abruptly, the ice sword dissolving into vapour as she spoke.

"The wielder of Kubikiribōchō?!" Tenten gasped, stars in her eyes.

Naruko unconsciously stepped back at that. "Err…yeah…he's now the Captain of my Clan's Guard. Ano…Tenten-san? Can you calm down please? You're starting to freak me out here…"

"Bwa-hahahaha!" a man guffawed as he came out of the back, "Ten-chan here would hive her hand to anyone who could introduce her to one of the Seven Swordsmen of the mist, especially if they have their weapons!"

"Otou-chan!" Tenten yelped in embarrassment.

"So…Tenten-san is a sword otaku?" Naruko asked with a barely suppressed grin.

"No!" the girl in question denied.

"Pretty much." her father said at the same time, making his daughter flush in a mixture of anger and embarrassment, "Anyway, the name's Higurashi Tōya. What's this about a sword?"

Naruko once again explained Zabuza's request for a sword for Haku.

"Huh…does he want it to just be a smaller version of Kubikiribōchō or does he not mind that part?" Tōya asked Haku after he heard Naruko out.

"Ideally, it would be similar in shape to Zabuza-sama's blade, as I one day hope to wield it myself." Haku confirmed.

"I was a Ninja before I retired." Tōya remarked, "One thing I saw was your master's predecessor wield that blade. I have it engraved in my mind, so If it's just making a copy slightly smaller than the original, that should be no problem. Now, does your master's instructions include reinforcing your limbs with chakra?"

"No, I have to be able to wield it unassisted by chakra." Haku shook her head as she replied.

"Fair enough." The man nodded approvingly, "Now, lemme measure your height…"

He took a tape measure out and stepped towards Haku before Tenten stopped him. "Otou-san? Remember? Money?"

"Oh." the man had evidently been caught up in his enthusiasm, "Err…how much are you willing to pay for this blade, Uzumaki-san?"

"As long as it isn't gouging me, I think I can match your price." Naruko replied.

"500,000 Ryo." Tōya said flatly, "That includes initial materials, crafting, a sheath and whetstones."

"400,000." Naruko countered.

"I have a business to run here!" Tōya exclaimed, "495,000!"

"I am a genin, gimme a break here!" Naruko retorted, "420,000!"

"Grrrrr…480,000!"

"450,000...last offer." Naruko said firmly.

"Sold." Tōya extended one hand and Naruko shook it, "Right then. I'll measure Haku-chan here while you square the money away with Ten-chan here."

Naruko nodded and walked over to the counter Tenten was behind, pulled out her wallet, Gama-chan, and started forking out cash.

"Wow…what kinda C-Rank did you go on?" the girl asked as the notes started to pile up.

"It was a trap." Naruko replied ruefully, "I can't tell you any details, because it was classed S-Rank. THEN we had to move to backup Kakashi-sensei's team in Nami no Kuni. That's where we fought Zabuza-san and Haku-nee-chan. That mission was classed as A-Rank."

"You…A-Rank?! _S_-Rank?!" Tenten gaped, "How…?!"

"Bad luck for getting involved with them, insane good luck for surviving them." Naruko replied as she laid the last note on the countertop, "There, that should be all of it. Care to count it up?"

"Err, Hai…" Tenten's hands moved automatically, counting the notes into piles of ten each, "Right, that's 450,000 Ryo. Thank you for your patronage."

"Offer!" her father called as he wound up his tape, done with the measurements.

"Oh, right." Tenten nodded, "As you have purchased an item that is over 150,000 Ryo, you can purchase any short-weapon with a two thirds price discount."

All this said in a manner of reciting something learned by rote.

"Define 'short weapon'." Naruko asked.

"Tantō, Kodachi, Kama, Kusarigama, Tessen, Custom Kunai or Shuriken, Kaiken, Wakizashi, Kabutowari, Yoroidōshi, Ninjatō, Jutte, Tekkan, Tambō and Yubi-bo." the other girl rattled off in one breath.

This made Naruko blink. "…You're pretty good at memorising weapons, Tenten-san."

"Meh. Just call me with '-chan' already." Tenten said with a flap of her hand.

"OK then…how about a Tessen?" Naruko asked, "And a basic Tessenjutsu style as well, if possible."

"Why that one?" Tenten asked curiously.

"My primary affinity is Fūton." Naruko replied, "A fan is an excellent conduit for Fūton Ninjutsu, so much so that Sunagakure has the Wind Dancer Corps, kunoichi who specialise in using Dai Tessen to use Fūton Ninjutsu."

"Wow…OK then." Tenten said with a nod, "Any preference to what Tessen you would like?"

"The highest quality one that you have." Naruko replied, "As in, it has to do its job well, not just look good."

"None of our Tessen are ornamental." Tenten refuted, "Lessee…ah, this one should do fine."

Tenten walked over to a display and picked up one that looked, to Naruko, very cool. It was made of steel and had the pattern of a coiling dragon on one side. The blade edges at the business end of the fan looked razor sharp and glinted in the light.

"This is the best fan Otou-san has made." Tenten told Naruko proudly, "And it's all yours for just 50,000 Ryo."

"Sold." Naruko nodded and handed the cash over, "What about a style for it?"

"Ah, right." Tenten scampered over and grabbed a scroll, "This isn't a style per se, but it is a list of moves, stances, kata and techniques. Here. Take it as a freebie for spending 500,000 Ryo in one sitting."

"Thanks, Tenten-chan!" Naruko beamed.

"How long will forging the sword take?" Haku asked Tōya.

"Hmmm… 'bout two months." the man replied, "Less if your master brings in the Kubikiribōchō for me to have a gander at. Ten-chan would probably appreciate that as well."

The girl in question deployed the _**Puppy Dog Eyes Jutsu**_ on Haku and Naruko.

"Alright! Sheesh." Naruko grumbled, "I'll bring him over at some point, alright?"

This earned her a hug from Tenten.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

_That Night_

_Uzumaki Residence_

Ino casually opened the Karakuri door that concealed the real living quarters of the Uzumaki estate. She had to admit that she wouldn't have thought that she could do it so easily, but practice makes perfect.

"Ino-san." Haku bowed to her as the door clanked open, "Naruko-sama and Anko-sensei are waiting for you in the lounge."

"Thanks Haku-san." Ino said with a smile, "How's Tomoe-san settling in?"

"She's a bit whiney about the collar, but considering Kusagakure wants to kill her, she knows she had nothing to complain about." the Spoil replied, "Naruko-sama has gotten used to engraving the Fūinjutsu for the collars, so she's made several copies in case of emergencies."

Ino would have asked what kind of emergencies the older kunoichi was talking about, but it was pretty self-explanatory…situations like Haku and Tomoe's.

"Is Hinata-chan here yet?" she asked instead to change the subject.

"No, apparently she has been held up by Clan business." Haku replied, "A messenger from the Hyūga Clan arrived not ten minutes ago. Hinata-san will be half an hour late."

The Yamanaka Heiress shook her head. Clan business was always cropping up at the most inopportune times.

Saying her goodbyes to Haku, Ino headed off to the lounge to see Naruko clumsily running through a kata with a Tessen. It was obviously one of the newest transformations of Naruko's En'ō Kago-te.

"A Tessen? For your Fūton Ninjutsu, right?" she said as Naruko finished her kata. The redhead looked up and grinned.

"Yep. This is my _**Kongōsen (Adamantine Fan)**_." she replied, "It's…weird…compared to a sword or a shuriken, but I think a few dozen _**Kage Bunshin**_ working at it for a while ought to get the basics down."

She snapped the fan closed before cancelling the _**Buki Henge**_, reverting the weapon back into its gauntlet form.

"So Flower Girl, how was having your old man psychoanalyse you for most of a week?" Anko asked as Naruko headed towards the kitchen.

"Alright." Ino replied as she slid onto one seat, "I needed some time to get to grips with my first kill and everything."

"Yeah…I remember mine." the Snake Mistress sighed, "I won't say that you never forget your first kill, but the general timeframe does stick with you as the time when things…change."

Ino nodded. "The thing that bothers me is that I honestly can't remember where it was that my first kill happened. Was it at the Yanagi Clan's castle or the bridge over Nami no Kuni? I should at least remember where it happened, if not the exact person."

This made Anko pause as she wracked her memory. "It was at the Yanagi Clan's castle." she said with a nod, "You used a Katon/Fūton combination jutsu with 'Nata-chan to send two of them flying. One of them never got up."

"Oh." Ino nodded. Her father had told her that the sad fact was, the more you killed, the more you became inured to it; it gradually became harder to provoke an emotional response in you. The battle-hardened members of the ANBU rarely felt more than a twinge when they killed, especially if it was in the defence of the village and its people.

Ino never wanted to join the ANBU. She didn't want to ever be that dead inside.

"Still wearing your new weapon." Anko observed to change the subject.

"Hmm…? Oh, this." the blond fingered the hilt of the ninjatō she had slung over her back, "Yeah, I've been taking some lessons from a cousin of mine in basic _**Konoha Ryū**_. I'm apparently not too bad with swordsmanship."

"Ninja Kenjutsu revolves around hitting the enemy and not being hit yourself." Anko replied, "You're fairly good at avoiding strikes, even from Naru-chan, so it isn't really a surprise."

"Isn't that the same as regular Kenjutsu?" Ino asked in confusion.

"Ninja Kenjutsu is much sneakier and dirtier." Anko replied with an evil grin, "None of the formal stances bullshit that the Samurai from Tetsu no Kuni (The Land of Iron) use. _**Konoha Ryū**_, while basic, is an excellent and effective sword style that can easily be adjusted to suit the particular body type and temperament of the user, without broadcasting your intent to your opponent."

"Huh." Ino nodded at that.

"Anyway, once we start training again, I'll take over your Kenjutsu tutoring" the Snake Mistress grinned, "I used to be an actual member of ANBU, so I know all the really advanced stuff. _**Ura Konoha Ryū (Hidden/Reverse Leaf Style)**_ is what the ANBU call it."

The Yamanaka Heiress gulped. Training with Anko normally was scary enough. Training with Anko while she attacks you with a sharp, pointy object was decidedly worse.

"An-chan, stop scaring Ino-chan." Naruko scolded her lover as she came back in with a plate of sushi in one hand and a tray of cups and a pot of tea balanced in the other.

"Spoilsport." Anko pouted.

"Sadist." the redhead shot back unperturbed, "So are we starting now or when Hinata-chan gets here?"

"Wait." Anko replied, "No point doing this twice. You go off and get everything ready."

"See you later…Ino-chan." Naruko winked at the blond, who flushed at the attention. The Uzumaki Heiress then walked off with an extra sway in her hips that Ino's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to.

"You really have got it bad." Anko observed, making Ino's flush return with a vengeance.

"Like you're any better." Ino muttered.

"Like I told Nai-chan, me and Naru-chan are very good friends with very good benefits." Anko laughed, "Plus she gives me permission to…play…with the Maehara twins every so often."

"Both? At the same time?!" the blond squeaked with mild disbelief.

"Why not? You and Nata will be played with by Naru-chan at the same time at some point." Anko replied with a lewd expression on her face, "Gotta say, I really should have gotten involved with genin before now. This is too much fun!"

"I'm doomed!" Ino groaned as she facepalmed.

At that moment, the door clanked open and Hinata sped into the room.

"S-Sorry for being late!" She said as she skidded to a stop, "The C-Clan budget had to be rebalanced after one of the Elders refused to have Hyūga Arashi's pay diverted to Naruko-chan."

"Why did that need the budget balanced?" Ino asked.

"Extended hospital bills for Elder Rekka after Chichi-ue defeated him in a duel." Hinata said matter of factly, "I never knew a man of sixty being forced to do the splits would be so uncomfortable."

This prompted Anko to burst out into great guffaws of laughter, and even Ino had to smirk at the 'unfortunate mishap' that had befallen one of the Elders of the Hyūga Clan.

"Ah…that was good." Anko got herself under control and helped herself to some green tea, "Now that you're both here…we can begin."

The two genin exchanged nervous looks at this point.

"I take it you have both been given the whole 'Kunai in the Holster' talk?" the Snake Mistress asked.

"Yes!" the girls said desperately, guessing what was to come and not wanting to have a repeat of the talk.

"Good. That means I can skip the basics." Anko grinned evilly.

'_Naruko-chan, save me!_' both girls thought as the most embarrassing conversation in their lives was immediately replaced by this one.

_Sometime Later…_

"Auuuuuuu~!" Hinata was on the verge of passing out, her face bright red and one could almost see the steam erupting from her ears as her brain went into information overload. Ino wasn't much better.

"So…" Anko drawled, "Any questions?"

"U-Ummm…" Ino said before she cleared her throat, "You…mentioned submissives, dominants and switches…are all relationships like that?"

"Kami, no." Anko snorted, "Look, broadly speaking, all that the first two mean is what position you are in a relationship."

"Huh?" Ino said.

"In almost every relationship, you have someone who is acknowledged as being 'in charge', the badly-named 'Male Role'." Anko said with an eye role, "As well as the 'follower', the just-as-badly-named 'female role'. Total bullshit. I'm a female and I'm definitely the in-charge type. Ignore stupid things like gender when you talk about who wears the trousers in a relationship. Take your mothers for example. Yamanaka Kanae and Hyūga Hitomi. Outwardly, domestic housewives retired from active duty or never a part of active duty, but Kanae says jump, Inoichi generally asks how high. Hitomi said 'I want a daughter' and Hiashi said 'Yes, dear.'"

Hinata looked surprised at this, while Ino just nodded sagely.

"Of course, that doesn't mean that they were or are dominated by their wives." Anko added, "Any healthy couple has a certain amount of communication between them. An old saying: you have two ears to one mouth. This means that listening is more important than talking."

The two girls nodded seriously.

"Are…all relationships like that?" Hinata asked, "I mean…with one person in charge of the relationship?"

"Not in charge as much as the aggressive one." Anko corrected her, "You two are not the in-charge types. I'm willing to bet any fantasy's or wet dreams you've had have involved letting the object of your desires come to you, kissing you, touching you, doing everything they want to you…right?"

Ino rubbed her thighs together and flushed as Anko talked, as did Hinata. They both shyly nodded.

"Naru-chan can be either aggressive or passive. Dominant or submissive. Whichever term you prefer." Anko said, "She prefers to be aggressive, but can be submissive. That'll make things fun for the both of you."

Desperately trying to not let her imagination carry her away, Ino asked, "S-So…we're…gonna…?"

Anko's eyes softened. "Yep. Naru-chan was very insistent that she have your first times for herself. Nothing kinky or anything, just you two and Naru-chan together in a bed together, making love."

"Hinata-chan first." Ino said.

"Lemme guess, you made a bargain that means Nata-chan here gets first dibs at Naruko?" Anko asked knowingly, making Hinata flush.

"T-To be precise, Ino-chan isn't a-allowed to do anything to Naruko-chan that I haven't done." she said with a bit of her old stutter.

"Jealous much?" Anko teased.

"W-Well…Ino-chan is cute, lively and outgoing…unlike me…" the Hyūga Heiress mumbled in embarrassment.

"Atatatata!" Anko put a finger on Hinata's lips sternly, "None of that. No pity parties. You are a cute young woman and I will hear nothing to the contrary. Got it."

"H-Hai…" Hinata replied timidly.

"Right then...any more questions? No? Then it's time for my contribution for the night." Anko said with a grin. She reached down to the side of the sofa and grabbed a couple of paper bags.

Handing them to the girls, she added, "A little something to spice things up. Go change into them in your rooms…then head to Naru-chan's room. Enjoy."

Duty done, the Snake Mistress stood up and sauntered to the door. As it clanked open, she turned her head and winked at the two girls before heading out of the door.

As it clanked shut, Ino exchanged another nervous look with Hinata. "W-Well…I think we should get changed…right?"

"H-Hai…" Hinata nodded.

Walking to their rooms, the two girls bade each other a temporary goodbye before heading inside to get changed. When they emerged a few minutes later, both of them were as red as tomatoes.

Ino was wearing dark purple thong panties, a matching strapless bra and black tights, while Hinata was wearing similar clothes in lavender and white tights.

"Wow…" Ino said, looking at Hinata's bust, "As big as they are without clothes, that bra makes them look even bigger! Lucky…"

"Ino-chan's does that too!" Hinata protested feebly.

"Yeah but the effect isn't nearly as obvious as with yours!" Ino pouted, "Just what the heck did you eat to get boobs like that?"

"Just normal food!" Hinata retorted, "I don't understand it either! No Hyūga woman is this…well endowed…at my age! Hanabi-chan is giving me betrayed looks whenever the subject comes up!"

Ino shook her head. "Lucky. That's what you are."

"Try having big boobs yourself; all the back pain, lewd stares from adolescent males and jealous looks from other girls that you could want." Hinata grumbled bitterly.

"Hamah…right, enough procrastinating." the Yamanaka Heiress said with a flip of her ponytail, "Nothing to it but to do it. Let's go."

Gulping, Hinata followed Ino to the door to Naruko's room.

It was ajar.

Brazenly, Ino knocked twice on the doorjamb.

"Come on in." Naruko called from within.

Hinata led the way this time and pushed the door open, to reveal the room lit with muted lighting from scented candles. Reclining on the bed in similar clothing to the rest of her team, Naruko smile confidently and kindly at her teammates, who found themselves blushing for the nth time that evening.

"Hey." Ino said awkwardly, "Like the lingerie."

"An-chan got me it for my first time." Naruko replied, "I see she did the same for you two."

"H-Hai…" Hinata had a hard time looking at Naruko in her lingerie-clad glory as she spoke.

The redhead sighed and slid to her feet, walked to her friends and put one hand on each of them.

"Listen…if you don't want to do this, you don't have to." Naruko said gently, "I needed to do this because I had been excluded from training in seduction at the Academy; you guys weren't. I refuse to push you into this. Say the word and I'll have An-chan cancel the whole thing."

"No, Naruko-chan." Ino said firmly, as she smiled at her friend, "We decided to do this and…we _want _to do this…right Hinata?"

"Hai." the lavender-eyed girl nodded just as firmly as Ino had spoken.

Smiling shyly, Naruko took their hands and gently led them to the bed. "Well then…let's get started…shall we?"

*******Please go to my AO3 (Archive of Our Own) SeerKing account for this Lemon. Don't blame me; blame the person stalking my account. *******

Naruko relaxed on the bed, with an exhausted Ino and Hinata cuddling up on either side of her, sleeping. A tired smile was on the redhead's face as she looked between her new lovers.

Her blue eyes lingered on Ino. She didn't know why Sasuke was so determined to be alone, but he treated both Ino and Sakura like something he had gotten stuck in his shoe, and Naruko didn't like it…at all.

'_So, you think you can treat people as stepping stones and people you can ignore, Sasuke-teme?_' she thought as she tightened her hold on Ino, '_Well your loss is my gain. Ino-chan is _mine _now and if I have anything to say about it, so will Sakura-chan. I'll at least treat them better than you on your best day!_'

Inside the seal, the Kyūbi no Kitsune grinned foxily as he synced up with his jailor. It was nice to introduce a little harmless moral indecency into the world, at least by Konohagakure's standards. Once Naruko read the Uzumaki traditions and societal norms in the Uzu Archive, things would be very interesting indeed.

Closing his eyes, lying down and tucking his nine glorious tails around him, the sealed demon fox decided that falling asleep for a day or so wouldn't be such a bad idea.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: The Chunin Selection Exams**

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**


	29. The Chunin Selection Exams

**Author's Note: Yo. Chapter 29 here.**

**As you might have noticed, I only update on a Wednesday now. This is to give me plenty of time to write out my chapters.**

**In other news, Yukicrewger2 is writing a 'reading of' story about this fic, with my full permission. I am also taking the opportunity to re-proofread the chapters of this story and changing them to better fit my better writing skills. This will happen gradually, but it will happen.**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto****'****s.**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen****"**-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat****'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 29: The Chunin Selection Exams**

_The Next Day_

_Hokage's Office, Hokage Tower_

Sarutobi Hiruzen clasped his hands on his desk as he gazed at the ranks of Jonin that he had summoned today. Gai, Kakashi, Anko, Kurenai and several other Jonin-sensei stood awaiting his announcement, although they knew exactly why he had summoned them.

"It is that time of year again." the Hokage said, "It is once again time for the Chunin Selection Exams. Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Otogakure, Kusagakure and many others of the other Hidden Villages have sent teams to participate in the exams we are holding here on Konohagakure. They begin tomorrow and we need a list of teams that we will be submitting ourselves. Rookie Team Jonin-sensei, would any of you nominate your teams?"

Kakashi stepped forwards lazily. "I, Hatake Kakashi, nominate Team Seven, consisting of Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura and Inuzuka Kiba, for the Chunin Selection Exams."

Kurenai and Anko stepped forward as well. "I, Yūhi Kurenai-"

"And I, Mitarashi Anko!"

"-nominate Team Eight, consisting of Uzumaki Naruko, Hyūga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino, for the Chunin Selection Exams." Kurenai finished with a reproving glance at Anko.

Unsurprisingly, Asuma stepped forwards as well. "I, Sarutobi Asuma, nominate Team 10, consisting of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Chōji and Aburame Shino, for the Chunin Selection Exams."

"Kakashi, are you certain about this?" Gai asked seriously, "The Chunin Exams are no joke; I held my team back for a year in order to give them sufficient experience so they'd be able to pass it."

"Hmm…? Did you say something, Gai?" Kakashi said disinterestedly.

"Curse you Kakashi and your too hip ways!" the spandex-wearing Jonin ranted.

"Gai has a point." Umino Iruka pointed out. The Chunin had been acting as Sarutobi's secretary for the meeting, "It's only been three months since the rookies were my students. I'm worried that they won't have the right attitude for the Exams."

"A reasonable concern." Sarutobi allowed, "Which is why I am issuing you a C-Rank mission, Iruka-kun. You are to ambush each team and allow the Jonin here to gauge their reactions through my Crystal Ball. Attempt to kidnap one of their members. In the meantime, would anyone else who is not in charge of a Rookie team like to nominate their teams?"

"I, Maito Gai, nominate Team Gai, consisting of Hyūga Neji, Higurashi Tenten and Rock Lee, for the Chunin Selection Exams!" Gai practically bellowed.

"Indoor voice, Gai." Kakashi said, rubbing his abused ear.

_Later_

_Living Room, Uzumaki Estate_

Ino sipped some tea and sighed. She and Hinata were relaxing in the living room. Naruko had headed to the room she had converted into her Fūinjutsu experimentation room and had told them very firmly to knock before entering, as she was working on something for the Hokage.

"Last night was…nice." Ino found herself saying aloud. She blushed.

"H-Hai…it was." Hinata replied with an equally bright blush.

"You were lucky enough to have the real Naruko the entire time." Ino huffed, "I was seduced by a damn clone."

"It was still Naruko-chan." the Hyūga Heiress pointed out, "And she told me this morning that Anko-sensei wants to take me for some…one-on-one Injutsu training. Meaning you'll be receiving the same from Naruko-chan."

"Kami! I'm going to die!" Ino muttered in shock before a small grin crept across her face, "What a way to go though."

Hinata giggled in agreement.

The sound of steps from Naruko's room signalled the arrival of the mistress of the estate. The new redhead, dressed in a tank top and shorts combo that was covered in ink, came into the living room and plopped herself down on the couch with a yawn.

"Tired?" Ino asked.

"Copying Fūinjutsu is relatively easy." Naruko replied, "Analysing a simple piece of Fūinjutsu is easy. Trying to break a _**Juinjutsu**_? Hard as hell."

"Hokage-sama asked you to break a Juinjutsu?" Hinata sounded concerned.

"Yeah." Naruko huffed, "To quote Shika, it's troublesome. The damn thing is placed on the forehead, similar to the _**Hyūga Sōke no Juinjutsu**_. The effect is different though. Whereas the Caged Bird Seal kills with chakra being inserted into the mind, the _**Juinjutsu**_ I'm studying burns out the chakra network before causing a heart attack. Not only that, it leaves a scar-like mark on the forehead of the victim."

"What does it look like?" Ino asked.

"Like the kanji '**闇**' (Darkness)." Naruko replied, "That means the creators of this foul piece of Fūinjutsu are the Clans of Darkness. I still haven't been able to break it yet, but given that I've only had it for a day, that isn't surprising."

"Like that Wandering Ninja in Nami no Kuni that you told us about?" Hinata frowned.

"Pretty much." Naruko said with a shrug, "I've no idea who they are, other than the remnants of clans that the Uzumaki almost wiped out in their pursuit of their duty as the best Fūinjutsu users in the world. Something tells me that they will be interested to hear that there is still an Uzumaki left…and then they'll try to do something to correct that fact."

Hinata and Ino growled a little at the thought of Naruko being attacked, making the girl in question smile slightly.

"I'll be fine." she said soothingly, "Anyway; I'm taking a break from working on the stupid thing, so how about we go out and do some shopping? I need to get a new combat outfit, because my trench coat clashes with my hair."

"Sounds like a plan." Ino replied, "Hinata?"

"I…wouldn't mind." the bluenette said shyly.

"OK then, let me get changed and we can go." Naruko hopped up and padded into her room, emerging a few minutes later in her standard kunoichi outfit.

A few minutes later, Team 8 was walking down the main street of Konoha, chatting about where they were going to go shopping and what they were going to buy.

"There's a lot of foreign Shinobi around today." Ino remarked as they passed a team wearing Kirigakure Hitai-ate.

"The Chunin exams are happening in Konoha this year." Naruko replied, "Anko-sensei's planning on nominating us."

"Eh?!" Ino and Hinata said as one.

"I'm looking forward to it." the Uzumaki Heiress said with a grin, "Meet new people and kick the crap out of them."

"Naruko-chan, the Chunin Exams are no laughing matter." Hinata scolded her girlfriend, "People regularly die in them."

"It can't be any harder than an S-Rank mission." Naruko pointed out.

"That depends on the team." Ino retorted, "Our initial mission had you taking centre stage through most of it and all that involved was 'kill the bastards before they could kill us' throughout the majority of it. Chunin are squad leaders; they need to be able to make tactical decisions and play it smart. When you fought Inaba Kogorō, you did that…initially. You cut him off from all avenues of escape and overwhelmed him. Then, you deliberately sent him outside, letting him use his Kinjutsu. Why did you do that?"

"I wanted to prove that I could beat him, even with that cheat code of a Jutsu." Naruko replied.

"So you let pride take over." Ino said with a sigh, "You need to not let that happen again. Fight smart, not with hubris."

"Isn't that the paste-like stuff?" Naruko asked in confusion.

"No, that's hummus." Hinata put in helpfully.

"_Hubris_ is pride to the point of excess." Ino explained, "Pride that causes you to miss obvious things and makes you think you can do better than anyone at everything. Daddy says that the best way to temper pride is with humility."

"I'm not exactly humble, Ino-chan." Naruko pointed out, "I do know my limits with a few things. I'm crap at Genjutsu and chakra control and so-so at Kenjutsu, Shurikenjutsu and Tessenjutsu. I'm also good at pumping out high-powered Ninjutsu and pretty good at Taijutsu."

"But you still need to work out when to run and when to fight." Ino argued as they approached Higurashi's Ninja Weapons and Apparels, "You got lucky last time; you might not get so lucky again."

"I'll do my best, Ino-chan." Naruko replied with a sigh.

Inside Higurashi's, the three split up and scoured the cloths section of the shop.

"Yo, Naruko-chan." Tōya greeted her with a smile.

"Hey, Higurashi-san." Naruko greeted him, "Tenten-chan not here?"

"Nope; out with her team doing one last training session before entering the Exams tomorrow." the blacksmith replied.

"Cool. We'll probably enter too." Naruko said with a grin, "I hope I face Tenten at some point; she's good."

The man guffawed. "She'll appreciate, not to mention reciprocate, the sentiment!"

Naruko found something that she thought would work well. She quietly bought it and several additions to her wardrobe, as well as some new kunai and shuriken. Sealing them all into her scroll, the redhead turned her attention to helping Hinata pick out something that was less concealing than her bulky jacket.

Trying to convince the body-conscious Hyūga Heiress that showing a bit of skin wasn't bad was like getting blood from a stone, but Naruko eventually found something Hinata was willing to compromise on; a lavender and cream jacket that didn't hide nearly as much as her current jacket. It was also lightly armoured in all locations.

Ino, being slightly vain, was happy with her current outfit, but swapped her cream arm warmers for a set that matched the colour of the rest of her outfit. She also bought some steel-backed black gloves with padding over the knuckles for her Taijutsu.

"So ladies, I believe that was very productive." Naruko remarked as they headed back to the Uzumaki Estate.

"Hell yeah." Ino agreed as she flexed her gloves.

"I-I think so too." Hinata opined as she absently adjusted her new coat, still a bit uneasy about it not concealing as much of her bust has her old one had.

As they entered a narrow street, a black masked ninja dropped down between them and attacked Ino with a drawn kunai, prompting a strong response from the three kunoichi.

"_**Byakugan**_**!**" Hinata cried, "_**Hakke Kūshō**_**!**"

The Hyūga Heiress sent a blast of chakra energy that slammed into the assailant's weapon arm and sent him spinning.

"_**Suiton: **__**Hōmatsu Rappa**_**!**" Naruko called out, sending a wave of sticky/slippery bubbles that engulfed the man and made it impossible to get up, although he tried.

He stopped struggling when Ino herself laid the edge of her sword across his neck and said coldly, "Stand down."

The man chuckled. "Very well done."

"Wait…" Naruko said in mild disbelief, "Is that you, Iruka-sensei?!"

Ino lowered her sword at that, allowing the man to pull off his mask and reveal their former sensei wearing a wry grin on his face.

"Excellent reflexes." he praised Hinata, "When did you learn how to activate the _**Byakugan**_ without any handsigns?"

"L-Last week…" the girl replied, still a bit shocked, "Ano…why did you attack Ino-chan?"

"He was testing us, weren't you?" Naruko guessed.

"Right on the money." Iruka replied, "I expressed concern for the three Rookie teams being nominated for the exams and so got handed a mission to test all three of them. You three were the last."

"We all passed, didn't we?" Ino smirked as she sheathed her weapon.

"With flying colours." Iruka groused, "Kiba and Akamaru almost hit me with a _**Gatsūga**_, setting me up to be hit by a _**Mizu Bunshin **_that Sakura created while Sasuke wrapped me up in wires. Shino tracked me down with his kikaichū and let Shikamaru trap me with his _**Kagemane no Jutsu**_ before I could even break cover. I need to train more."

"I'd be happy to be your sparring partner, Iruka-sensei." Naruko offered, "After the Chunin Exams, of course."

"Smart-aleck." the scarred Chunin grumbled, "Can one of you help me out of this please?"

It took both Ino and Naruko to haul the man out of the mess of bubbles, after which he used a low powered Suiton jutsu to wash them away.

"Good thing I mastered that jutsu to the point I can use it without handsigns." Iruka said as he tried and failed to move his right arm, "This is the reason I left your team for last; Hyūga are not to be taken lightly."

"Yep. Hinata-chan kicks ass!" Naruko boasted proudly as she hugged Hinata with one arm.

"I-It ought to be working again in a-about half an hour." Hinata stammered out apologetically.

"Thanks." Iruka said with a sigh, "I suspect that Hokage-sama is laughing at me now. He's been watching using his _**Tōmegane no Jutsu**_ along with the Jonin."

"Oh...you mean the peeping ball." Naruko nodded sagely.

Back in the Office, Sarutobi was put under the uncomfortable scrutiny of Kurenai as her fingers started to twitch to form the first seal of one of her anti-pervert Genjutsu.

"Naruko!" Iruka barked, "Show some respect for the Hokage!"

"It's OK Iruka-sensei!" the redhead replied lazily, "Mito-baa-chan helped design the thing and it can't be used to view inside any private residences or bathhouses. Not sure about bathing spots though."

"Oh…" Iruka nodded slowly, "Well I'd better head back to the Hokage Tower. Good luck in the Exams."

"We're gonna kick ass and take names!" Naruko declared.

"I'm sure you will." Iruka ruffled her hair with his working hand, making the girl pout.

"So…what now?" Ino asked as Iruka left in the direction of the Hokage Tower.

Naruko checked the position of the sun. "I have to go and meet Konohamaru and his friends. They want to play ninja with me…and maybe learn a thing or two from me as well."

She handed the scroll that had her purchases in it to Ino and gave Hinata a quick kiss before jogging off. The Hyūga Heiress pouted slightly because of how brief the kiss was.

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_Later_

_The Gates of Konohagakure_

Sabaku no Temari, oldest child and only daughter of Sabaku no Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage, sighed as her team approached the largest entrance to the Village Hidden in the Leaves. She and her brothers, Kankuro and Gaara, were ostensibly here to take the Chunin Exam.

The real reason they were here was to help in the destruction of the Hidden Leaf, alongside their new allies, the Village Hidden in Sound. This did not improve Temari's mood overmuch as Suna would be breaking its treaty with Konoha by doing so.

'_Father, the reason for the Hidden Sand's decline is partly to do with Konoha, but it's _also_ because you are a lousy Kage, not to mention a shitty excuse for a father!_' she thought for the umpteenth time.

She scowled slightly as a few travellers, a mix of shinobi and civilians, gave her a once over. Temari was, no false modesty, a beautiful kunoichi. Her sandy hair was tied into four pigtails, she had a well-developed figure and she dressed elegantly in a lilac and lavender battle kimono with a red sash around it. The Sunagakure Hitai-ate was hung around her neck.

Of course, she wasn't a flower without thorns. Her arms and long legs were rippling with defined musculature and her teal gaze was cold. The Dai Tessen sheathed over her back was black and menacing as well, so nobody dared to do more than look.

"Temari." Baki-sensei said, drawing the kunoichi attention, "I'm going to register us at the Hokage Tower; you take Gaara and Kankuro to the hotel. Try to keep Kankuro out of trouble."

He didn't ask her to keep Gaara out of trouble because he knew very well that her youngest brother would kill her if she tried.

"Hai, Baki-sensei." Temari said instead of anything else.

As Baki chatted to the Chunin Gate Guards, Temari looked at her brothers.

Kankuro, his face covered in 'warpaint,' wore an all black outfit with the symbol of Sunagakure's Puppeteer Corps on his chest, as well as a hood over his head…or to be precise, his puppet, Karasu, wore that outfit. Kankuro himself was in the bandage-wrapped bundle slung over Karasu's back. A decoy manoeuvre.

Gaara was virtually a younger clone of their father; pale skinned and red haired. He had a tattoo of the kanji '**愛**' (Love) over his left eye and carried a large gourd on his back. His black, white and brown clothing made him look slightly intimidating, alongside his bloodthirsty aura.

'_Oh Gaara…_' the sandy-haired girl thought with a sigh as he vanished in a _**Suna Shunshin **_shortly after they entered the Village proper.

She cursed her father for what he had done to his wife and youngest son. Gaara had the Ichibi no Tanuki, the Shukaku, sealed inside him, making him a jinchūriki. The beast's mind was too strong for Gaara and had driven him insane, sending him on killing sprees when the moon was full.

Karura, her mother, had died in childbirth because the beast had been sealed inside Gaara before he was even born. The strain had been too much for her. Temari and Kankuro had been kept away from Gaara as children, right up until he had killed their uncle Yashamaru.

Since then, the two older siblings had lived in fear of Gaara killing them on one of his homicidal rampages. Rasa was the only person in Suna strong enough to stop the berserk jinchūriki when he got out of control, using his _**Jiton (Magnet Style)**_ to smother and subdue the Shukaku.

"Nee-chan." Kankuro said, nudging her in the side, "We should probably head to the hotel…Gaara'll get pissed at us if we're late."

"Yeah…you're right." Temari sighed, "Let's go. And no picking fights. This isn't Suna."

"I know, I know." Kankuro muttered. He had a bad habit of acting like a big shot when Gaara wasn't around, something he was trying to change.

The two siblings walked through Konoha, and Temari had to admire the village. It was so different from Suna, where every building was the same colour. It was such a shame that it would be destroyed in just over a month's time.

"Jeez, this place is so open." Kankuro grumbled, "And what's with the civs floating about like that?"

"Didn't you even bother to read the briefing packet?" Temari sighed, "Konoha doesn't place barriers between civilians and shinobi, physical or otherwise. No caste system, the works."

"I don't get it…why?" Kankuro asked with a shake of his head to demonstrate his inability to comprehend the decision.

"I have no idea." Temari confessed, "It seems to work though, considering Konoha _is_ the strongest of the Shinobi Nations."

This just made Kankuro grunt. "Yeah…at the cost of Suna's prosperity."

Temari whacked him upside the head with her hand. "Shut it about that in public, you idiot!"

"Sorry…"

They continued until a kid rammed Kankuro in the gut with his head, making him stagger back and growl angrily.

"Uh…whoops. Sorry about that." the kid apologised, "Wasn't looking where I was going."

"Damn brat!" Kankuro growled and lifted the kid up by his t-shirt, "What were you playing at?!"

"Kankuro, stop being an idiot." Temari sighed.

"Nee-chan, I'm just teaching this brat his place is all." Kankuro replied.

"I already said I was sorry!" the kid said, struggling to get out of the older boy's grip.

"Yeah? Well sorry ain't good enough!"

"If someone kicks your ass for this, I am not going to stop them." the sandy-haired girl warned her brother.

"Good to hear." a voice said from behind her. Temari whirled around to see a redheaded kunoichi in a red coat standing nearby, with her arms crossed and looking at Kankuro with dislike in her eyes.

'_When the hell did she turn up?!_' Temari thought in shock at being snuck up on.

"Who the hell are you?!" Kankuro barked.

"Are you trying to cause a diplomatic incident, Sunagakure Shinobi-san?" the redhead asked, ignoring the boy's question, "That's the grandson of the Sandaime Hokage you're bullying there."

Temari felt her insides freeze. The grandson of the sitting Hokage getting bullied by a child of the sitting Kage of Suna. Diplomatic incident nothing, this could turn into full-fledge war!

"Kankuro, put him down…now!" Temari ordered brusquely.

"But-"

"NOW!"

"Fine…" Kankuro dropped the kid on his ass.

"You OK, Konohamaru?" the girl asked.

"I'm fine, Aneki." the kid -Konohamaru- replied.

"Head off to the training ground where we were supposed to meet." the redhead ordered, "I'll meet up with you there later."

"OK Aneki." Konohamaru nodded seriously before scampering off.

"I am Uzumaki Naruko, Genin." the girl said once the kid had left, "I presume you three are here for the Chunin Exams?"

"…three?" Temari asked in confusion.

"You two, plus the one emitting KI like a waterfall in the trees over there." Naruko jerked her thumb at the nearby trees before raising her voice, "You can come down now."

Much to Temari and Kankuro's utter terror, Gaara appeared in a flash of sand, his eyes staring at Naruko intently.

"I'll be escorting you three to your hotel now." Naruko said, seemingly indifferent to the KI Gaara was directing at her.

"Just where do you get off-?!" Kankuro started.

"Shut. Up." Gaara ground out, "Or I'll kill you."

With a gulp, Kankuro fell silent.

"This way please." the redheaded kunoichi gestured and the Sand Siblings followed her.

"So, who are you three?" Naruko asked after a moment.

"The children of the Kazekage." Temari replied shortly.

"Huh…good thing I stepped in." the girl said with a shrug, "Last thing Suna needs is more trouble."

"And just what do you mean by that?" Temari almost snarled back.

"You old man's a crap administrator and a war monger." Naruko replied indifferently, "Combined with the idiot who is the Wind Lord sending missions here rather than Suna, your economy is about to tank…at least that's what Anko-sensei says."

"Anko…as is MITARASHI Anko?! The Snake Mistress of Konoha?!" Temari paled at this revelation. A student of Orochimaru's apprentice. Just great. The Snake Mistress was infamous for being a sadist, so who knows what her students had been taught.

"Yup." Naruko replied nonchalantly, "Just a heads up, don't let the idiot over there try anything with civs. We have laws against harassment by shinobi, so if he tries, Kazekage's son or not, he'll be answering questions from Morino Ibiki in the T&amp;I Department.

This made Kankuro pale under his makeup/warpaint. Morino Ibiki was a bogeyman to all shinobi outside of Konoha. The rumours of his ability to get information out of any and all subjects he was presented with made Genin crap their pants in other Hidden Villages.

"I'll hit him over the head with my Dai Tessen if he tries anything." Temari told her fervently.

"Good to hear." Naruko nodded genially, "Just so you know, I'll have to report this incident to the Hokage. You'll have ANBU shadowing your team when they aren't in the Exams."

Temari glowered at Kankuro. This was his fault!

"And…here we are." Naruko stopped them in front of the hotel that Baki-sensei had said all Suna shinobi were staying at, "Well, that's that. See you in the Exams."

"You're taking part?" Gaara asked, surprising Temari. Normally Gaara ignored everyone, unless they were strong fighters.

"I am." Naruko nodded.

"I am Sabaku no Gaara, otherwise known as Gaara of the Desert." the jinchūriki stated, his black eyes boring into Naruko's sapphire ones, "I will destroy you in the exams."

This made Naruko laugh, for some reason. "I've lost count of the number of times I've heard people tell me that, Gaara of the Desert. I'll see you in the finals."

With that, the girl vanished in a puff of smoke…a Shunshin.

"Since when do _Genin_ know the _**Shunshin no Jutsu**_?" Kankuro muttered to Temari.

"I…don't know." Temari replied, "But I have a bad feeling about this. Look at Gaara."

Kankuro did and then wished he hadn't. Gaara had an insane and manic smile on his face, one that the two older siblings had seen several times, both on missions and when he went on homicidal rampages.

'_Uzumaki Naruko…you've just doomed yourself._' Temari thought with dread. She could almost see her being crushed to death by Gaara's _**Sabaku **__**Sōsō (Sand Burial)**_.

_Later_

_Hokage's Office_

"The Ichibi…are you certain, Naruko-chan?" Sarutobi asked in concern.

"The fox is." Naruko replied shakily. She had been terrified of the other boy's KI, but had put up a brave front in front of the Sunagakure Shinobi, "According to him, the chakra he was emitting was unquestionably that of Shukaku. Moreover, he had the rings around the eyes that act as distinguishing marks for Shukaku's hosts. Between that and the Kyūbi's testimony, It's pretty much certain."

"Rasa's youngest son…" Sarutobi mused, "What was he like?"

"He had his teammates terrified of him." Naruko told him, "He threatened to kill the other boy if he didn't shut up and I think the other boy -Kankuro- took it seriously. He was literally spewing KI as if he was a never-ending source of it. He also looked like he hadn't slept in forever."

"That's likely because he hadn't." Sarutobi replied, "The Ichibi can, if the seal holding him is weak enough, take control of the host whenever they fall asleep."

"A human can only remain awake for so long without suffering severe mental fatigue though." Naruko protested, "That's why sleep deprivation is a good tactic to use when interrogating stubborn prisoners. If he's never slept in his life the mental damage that must cause him is immense!"

"I agree." the Hokage frowned, "Something about this strikes me as being very…unlike Rasa. He can be subtle, but he wouldn't risk the peace treaty by not informing me beforehand that one of the participants he was sending to the Chunin Exams is his village's jinchūriki. Something is afoot."

Naruko nodded. "He seems to be fixated on me for some reason, at least that's what it seemed like to me. I hid on the building across the road from the hotel once I Shunshin'd away and he had this…evil grin on his face. It made Hachidoro Kaen's evil grin look weak by comparison."

Sarutobi wasn't happy about the fact that a potential psychopath being fixated on his surrogate granddaughter, but he rolled with it. His hands were tied in the exams, but outside them…

"I'll put an ANBU team to watching young Gaara's team when outside of the Exams themselves, but you will be vulnerable in them." he told Naruko, "Can you defeat him if he loses control?"

Naruko's eyes became distant for a moment before she replied, "At the moment…no. After a month of non-stop training? Perhaps. I've contacted the Crow Clan and expect to be informed that I'm to be reverse-summoned to Nikkōyama at some point soon."

"I see…Jiraya-kun should be back in Konoha by the end of the Second Round of the Exams." Sarutobi said thoughtfully, "I'll ask him if he would train you for that month, should you make it through both rounds."

"You don't have to worry about that, Ji-chan." Naruko assured him with a grin, "I'm not going to fail."

"I take heart in that, Naruko-chan." Sarutobi chuckled, "Now, how about we have some ramen together? It has been a while."

"Hell yeah!" Naruko cheered.

**NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN**

**Next Chapter: Exam Round One: The Gauntlet**

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	30. Exam Round One: The Gauntlet

**Author's Note: Ok, so…yeah.**

**I apologise for the big gap in my schedule, but it was unavoidable. My computer had some serious glitches up with it, which took two weeks to resolve.**

_**Two. Weeks.**_

**I only had access to the internet via a new laptop that I recently bought. It had no word processor other than notepad, which I refuse to use as it is primitive as hell.**

**This left me with not very many choices, so I chose to get back into writing ASAP, meaning I had to go on hiatus. I am sorry about that, but I'm, back now.**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto's**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen" **-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 30: Exam Round One: The Gauntlet**

_The Next Day, Early Morning_

_Guest Bedroom, Hanabishi Hotel, Konohagakure no Sato_

Kin Tsuchi stretched as she left the shower. She winced as, through the wall, the not-so-dulcet tones of Zaku and Dosu arguing could be heard. She was glad that she was able to rent a separate room from those idiots. Zaku was a greedy loudmouthed bastard, while Dosu was a chauvinistic and _sadistic_ bastard with a mean streak a mile wide.

'_So this is Konohagakure…_' she thought as she looked out the window. The village, touted as the strongest of the Five Great Shinobi Villages, was not at all what she expected. It was…softer…kinder…than she would have thought a Shinobi village would be like. It was certainly different from Otogakure (Village Hidden by Sound).

It confused her that a village that seemed little different from a civilian town could have produced a sadistic bastard like her village's leader…Orochimaru of the Sannin. She shivered and looked around in case the man had somehow materialised in her room while she had been lost in thought.

Otogakure was, in a word, hell. She, and every other ninja in Orochimaru's service, was his slaves, to do with as the pale man pleased, whether it is being sent on a suicide mission to amuse him or to be cut up on an operating table as part of a twisted medical experiment.

Shaking her head to draw herself from her thoughts, Kin set about getting ready for the exams, starting with getting dressed.

First, she pulled on her panties and strapped on her bra. She was only a mid-B cup, but she had a toned figure that would draw the eyes of men and women if she could dress to do so.

Next, she pulled on her urban camo-patterned trousers, which had nice deep pockets for carrying things, before wrapping the bottom ends in black tape and pulling on her black shinobi sandals.

Next, she pulled on her tan top. It was slightly reminiscent of a chunin vest, but was just different enough in appearance to be clear that it wasn't one. Still, it provided her with more than adequate protection on her torso.

To add the finishing touches, she pulled on a pair of black spandex armbands, brushed her long black hair before tying the bottom off and tying on her hitai-ate, emblazoned with the music note symbol of Otogakure and tied her kunai/shuriken/senbon pouch to her right leg.

Her team had very clearly divided roles. Dosu was the close combat specialist with his Melody Arm; she was the mid-range specialist with her senbon and sound-based genjutsu while Zaku had his faux-wind element attacks thanks to the tubes surgically implanted in his arms.

Theoretically, **IF** they all worked together, they should be unstoppable against any High-Genin/Low-Chunin-level ninja team out there. Sadly, Kin was well aware that the mishmash team she was on would likely self-destruct due to incompatible personalities. Dosu disdained her for being female and was contemptuous of Zaku due to his slavish devotion to Orochimaru. Zaku, on the other hand, thought Kin was weak because she used genjutsu and that Dosu was too cautious and wimpy.

As for Kin, well…she didn't think much of them either. She knew that because their teamwork was all over the place, they were almost bound to fail their mission. THAT meant that Orochimaru would kill them via experimentation at some point after they were booted out of the Chunin Exams. She knew that running would be pointless. The man was S-Class, after all.

Even if, by some unforeseen miracle, they passed, that would only give the Snake Sannin the excuse to perform more tortuous experiments on them. It was a lose-lose proposition for her no matter what happened.

'_I am so screwed._' Kin thought morosely before pulling herself together and heading out to meet her teammates.

_Same Time_

_Uzumaki Estate_

"Morning, brats!" Anko greeted the three genin kunoichi cheerfully, "Ready for the exams?"

"Considering we had to find out that we were being considered for the exams by being attacked by Iruka-sansei…pretty good." Ino said sarcastically as she put her ponytail back.

"We could have used the extra time to prepare, An-chan." Naruko added, agreeing with the Yamanaka Heiress.

"Meh. You'll get over it." the Snake Mistress shrugged.

Kurenai, standing next to her friend, sighed. "Getting back to the point, you have signed the forms?"

All three of the girls nodded and handed them to her.

"Good. Now, go to Training Ground Fifty." Anko said with a smirk, "That's where round one of the exams begins. Shame I'm assisting Nai-chan here with you three or I'd be a proctor. Nothing more fun than intimidating genin and being paid to do it."

"Ano…you intimidate Ino-chan all the time." Hinata pointed out.

"Point." the purple-haired woman nodded judiciously, "Flower Girl is fun to intimidate and I get away with it by calling it 'training.' Now scat or you'll be late!"

Naruko pulled her sword's sheath over her shoulder and nodded. "Let's go and kick ass!"

As the redhead led her friends out of the Uzumaki Estate, she kept an eye out for Gaara's team. She intended to make her team stay as far away from him as was physically possible. He was _way_ too dangerous to let Hinata and Ino near.

It was strange to look at him, really. When she did so, she saw…herself. What might have been if she had given up. Angry and vengeful at the world, only caring for herself and desiring to find a way to validate her own existence. That version of herself had come so close to coming into existence that she could reach out and touch it.

A hand spanking her bottom drew her out of her thoughts as she jumped, shrieking in surprise, and turned to glare at a smirking Ino.

"What was that for?!" she demanded.

"You were staring into space like an idiot." the blond informed her, "Head in the game. This is our chance to become chunin as rookies!"

"Sorry." the Uzumaki Heiress apologised.

"I-Is there something the matter?" Hinata asked in concern, "You've been s-spacing out since you got home yesterday."

"Seriously, it's nothing." the redhead insisted, "Heads in the game, remember?"

With suspicious glances at their teammate, the other two subsided and followed her on the way to Training Ground Number Fifty. Naruko changed her train of thought to _why_ they were headed to that particular training field. TG #50 was for training in an environment with absolutely no terrain to take advantage of. No trees to use as cover, no water to use for Suiton Jutsu, no hillocks to use…just a large expanse of flat, dusty earth, with nothing on it to make it remotely interesting.

'_So what the heck could it have that they're going to use as examination material?!_' Naruko thought furiously. Just about the only noteworthy aspect of the place was its size; it was the single-largest training ground available to Konoha.

Before she could continue her thoughts, Team Seven came out of the next street over from them. Sasuke looked dour, as always. Sakura, Kiba and Akamaru were trailing behind him, exchanging uneasy looks.

"Fancy meeting you three here!" Naruko greeted them cheerfully.

"Hn." Sasuke grunted.

"Morning Naruko." Sakura said, "Ino-pig. Hinata."

"Forehead." Ino shot back. Hinata nodded to Sakura politely.

"You guys are in the Chunin Exams too?" Kiba asked.

"Yup." Naruko replied, "I'm willing to bet Team Ten is as well. Probably Team Gai too."

"Cool." the Inuzuka Heir grinned, "These Exams are gonna be awesome!"

"I hear that!" Naruko said with a grin of her own, "What about you, Akamaru? You ready to go out there and kick some tail?"

"Arf!" the ninken pup barked with a wag of his tail from his position atop Kiba's head.

When they arrived at Training ground 50, the number of genin was amazing. The six members of the Rookie 9 saw hitai-ate from Kusagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Amegakure, Hoshigakure, Tsukigakure and one team from Otogakure, as well as a plentiful number from Konoha.

Iwagakure and Kumogakure were not taking part in the Konoha exams. The former because of bad blood from the Yondaime Hokage's massacre of over half of Iwa's shinobi forces during the last Great Ninja War and the latter because of ill-feelings from the fallout of the Hyūga Incident.

"Whew…this is quite the number, isn't it?" Naruko mused aloud.

"Good." Sasuke said bluntly, "Not worth it otherwise."

"Ah, so Lord Broody deigns to speak to us mortals!" the Uzumaki Heiress teased.

"Shut it, Dobe." the Last Uchiha grunted, although a small smile flashed across his face for a moment.

"Troublesome." a familiar voice drawled from nearby. Shikamaru, Shino and Chōji strolled up to the group, having just arrived. "I take it your Jonin-sensei were just as troublesome as Asuma-sensei was and entered you lot as well?"

"Yup." Ino replied, "Let me guess, Shika…he had to bring your mother in to get you to sign the form?"

Shikamaru shuddered. "Why am I surrounded by troublesome women?!" he bemoaned to the heavens.

"What was that?!" his female childhood friend growled angrily.

A silver haired boy strode up to the nine rookies and adjusted his glasses. "I'd keep it down if I were you guys. Rookies tend to get…squashed…if they are too loud."

Looking behind the boy, the rookies saw the experienced genin, some of them in their late teens or early twenties, glaring at them and radiating killing intent. Most of the rookies gulped and froze at that, but Naruko simply glared back and raised her own killing intent back at them, drowning theirs utterly, but not to the point that they felt any fear. Just enough to negate their own.

'_Troublesome. She's able to match kami-knows-how-many genin in KI all by herself._' Shikamaru thought as the other genin frowned in confusion as the rookies recovered from their experience with KI.

'_Interesting._' the silver-haired boy thought.

"Sorry, but…who are you?" Ino asked him.

"Yakushi Kabuto." the boy replied, "A seven-time veteran of these exams. Let me tell you, it isn't a walk in the park."

"If you've not passed in the last seven times, it must be!" Kiba said in disbelief.

"That's why I took to using Fūinjutsu to gather and correlate information about the other participants on these chakra cards." Kabuto said with a smirk as he took out a deck of cards, "Name a shinobi here and I can tell you all about them."

"Sabaku no Gaara." Naruko said after a moment.

"And Uzumaki Naruko." Sasuke added abruptly.

"Aw…you know their names." Kabuto said theatrically, "That makes it too easy."

He shuffled the deck and then pulsed his chakra to reveal one with Gaara's picture on it.

"Sabaku no Gaara. He's been a genin for about six months now. Teammates are his older brother and sister, Kankuro and Temari." Kabuto said with a frown, "Mission record…whoa…he's been on an A-Rank mission…without suffering so much as a scratch. In fact…he's _never_ been wounded on a mission, full stop."

"That's impossible!" Kiba said in disbelief.

"My information is 100% accurate." Kabuto rebutted, "Where was I…ah, yes. Skill wise, I haven't much information. Rumours of high Ninjutsu though."

"He's the son of the reigning Kazekage, so he likely has access to the Sunagakure-style Jiton Kekkei Genkai." Naruko informed him.

"Thanks for the info." Kabuto said with a nod, "Now, as for information on you…"

He swirled around another card and began reading. "Uzumaki Naruko, rookie Genin. Last member of the Main Branch of the Uzumaki Clan. Teammates with Hyūga Hinata and Yamanaka Ino. Mission record…45 D-Ranks with her team, along with several lone D-Ranks. One C-Rank, one B-Rank, two A-Rank and an _S_-Rank?!"

He looked at Naruko, who shrugged. "Classified. Can't tell you anything."

"I'll bet." he muttered, "Moving on…sub-par genjutsu, _very_ high Ninjutsu, above-average Taijutsu, average kenjutsu and above-average Fūinjutsu. All-in-all…a _very_ promising chunin candidate."

Naruko blushed at that.

"Silence!" a loud voice bellowed as an explosion of smoke appeared in the middle of the genin. When it cleared away, a group of people wearing exam proctor outfits were revealed. In the centre was a tall man wearing a black coat and a bandana-style hitai-ate. His face had two diagonal scars, one starting at the far side of his left eye, crossing his lips and ending in the middle of his jaw and one starting under his right eye and going down his entire right cheek.

"The exam starts now, you little brats!" Morino Ibiki growled, "And you are all mine!"

_With the Jonin_

"What was that that Naruko did?" Asuma asked with a frown. He and the other Jonin-sensei were watching a live feed of the exams.

"She layered her KI with a small amount of her chakra and matched the KI of the other genin, negating it on both sides." Kakashi answered, "A very tricky thing to do. I think her new Guard Captain's been teaching her some tricks."

Those who knew who he was talking about nodded.

"Look now, 'Biki-chan's there!" Anko giggled, pointing at the screen when Ibiki made his entrance, "Ohhh, this is gonna be fun!"

"Only you would find having Ibiki the Shinokyōfu (Terror of Death) as the 1st Exam Proctor amusing, Anko." Kakashi replied dryly.

"The Terror of Death?" Kurenai asked in confusion.

"He's the Tokubetsu Jonin in charge of ANBU T&amp;I." Asuma informed the green Jonin, "He specialises in mental torture. Psychological warfare, undermining his 'guests' willpower through things such as sleep deprivation and other methods that don't leave a mark on his victims. He and Anko have a friendly rivalry about which is better between physical torture and mental torture."

"And he's the Head Proctor for this stage of the exam because…why?!" Kurenai asked in disbelief.

"Look at how many there are there." Kakashi pointed at the genin, "His job is to cull the numbers down severely. The same applies for whoever's the 2nd Stage Head Proctor, although the location of the 2nd stage will do that for them."

"Good old Training Ground 44..." Anko said dreamily.

"The Forest of Death?!" Kurenai exclaimed in shock, "_That_ hellhole?!"

"Just the easy portion of it." Anko pointed out, "Not the deadly portion."

"The so-called 'easy' portion is High-Chunin level!"

"Maa, maa, let's just see if our genin actually make it past round one." the cyclopean Jonin said lazily.

"Kakashi!" Gai boomed obnoxiously as he appeared by his shoulder, "It is not youthful to doubt your genin!"

"Hmm? Did you say something, Gai?" Kakashi deadpanned.

"Curse you and your hip and too cool ways, Kakashi!" the spandex-clad man ranted.

_Back with the Genin…_

"I am Morino Ibiki, the 1st Stage Exam Proctor." the Tokujō stated, "Now, have all of you handed your forms to your Jonin-sensei? Good."

He clicked his fingers, which caused the ground to shake. Several small doorways appeared around the genin, leading underground.

"Your task for this exam is simple." he said, "Each team are going to be assigned an entrance at random. Once inside, you cannot return without either forfeiting and failing out of the exam or completing the assigned task. The task is to infiltrate the underground tunnel system, avoid the traps and retrieve a specific item, each unique to every doorway. It will be some sort of ninja-related piece of equipment, from a scroll to a kunai to even a hitai-ate. Once you have retrieved the item, you will then have to discover the way out, again unique to each entrance. Once you are outside with the item, you pass. Questions?"

Sakura raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"Is there a time limit?" the pinkette asked.

"Astute question." Ibiki nodded, "Indeed there is. These tunnels only last twelve hours. Once past that time, they will collapse, crushing everything and everyone within them. Try to get out before then."

Sakura gulped and nodded.

"Now, before we start, each genin is to take one of the items from the basket my proctors are handing around." Ibiki directed. The item, when Naruko picked it up, was a red painted wooden stick covered in complex Fūinjutsu that she didn't recognise.

"Each member is to keep this on them at all times." Ibiki said firmly, "No questions. Should you wish to forfeit or a teammate becomes critically injured, snap it in half. This will alert us and we will be with you momentarily. Be warned however. One person snapping the stick in half fails the entire team."

This caused a storm of mutters from the crowd of genin, which was stilled by Ibiki's glare.

"The box being passed around now is a lottery. Draw your number from that and move to the appropriate entrance. The item you need to retrieve is carved above the doorway. When I say you can start, enter the tunnels." the man said, "Now move!"

_Door Number 20: Team 7_

"What the heck is that?" Kiba asked flatly, as he pointed at the carving. It wasn't clear what it was. It was rectangular, with a leaf symbol on it, so it could be a hitai-ate or a scroll.

"Scroll or hitai-ate." Sasuke grunted.

"I'd say scroll." Sakura said after a moment, "It's too thick to be a regular hitai-ate and too thin to be a bandana-style hitai-ate."

"Nice."

_Door Number 9: Team 8_

"Is that a stick or a sword?" Naruko asked as she gestured at the carving.

"A sword." Hinata said firmly, "I think it's a Shichishitō (Seven-Branched Sword). A ceremonial sword of some kind."

"Never heard of it." Ino stated.

"The Hyūga Clan has one. It was a gift from a ruler of a country that is no more." the bluenette told her, "I've seen it a couple of times."

"Nice. We have an advantage." Naruko said with a grin.

_Door Number 15: Team Gai_

"A kunai." Tenten stated with certainty.

"Are you sure, Tenten-chan?" Lee asked.

"Yep. That's a picture of a standard-issue kunai." the Weapon Mistress said firmly.

"Then it is fated that we acquire it." Neji said dismissively.

_Door 30: Sand Siblings_

"Nee-chan…what the heck _is_ that thing?" Kankuro asked. The carving was of a simple orb or sphere.

"A soldier pill?" she hazarded a guess, "A smoke bomb, perhaps?"

"For an _exam target_ though?" Kankuro asked doubtfully.

"It doesn't matter." Gaara growled, "Now shut up or I'll kill you both."

_Door 35: Sound Team_

"A shuriken?" Kin said dubiously, "Seriously?"

"That's what it appears to be." Dosu replied, nodding at the carving of a basic shuriken above the door, "Quite how we're going to find one specific shuriken amongst the countless decoys that will no doubt be down there is quite a puzzling conundrum."

"Feh." Zaku spat, "This exam doesn't prove shit. Being a ninja is about killing your enemies, not pussyfooting around with finding things."

"That attitude is why you almost failed to become a ninja." Dosu reprimanded the arrogant boy, "Our…_Kage_…had to reprimand you in order for you to take it seriously. What do you think he'll do to us if we fail him _here_?!"

The black-haired boy paled at that before shutting up.

_With Ibiki_

The Head of T&amp;I smirked grimly as he saw the genin eying their teammates uneasily. That little bit of psychological suggestion was working exactly as he had intended it to. Similar to Hatake Kakashi's Bell Test, this was designed to test the bonds and trust between teammates. Combined with the stress of the exam and the numerous traps in the tunnels, he was anticipating at least 75% of the examinees to either fail or drop out.

"Begin!" he bellowed.

Immediately, all of the genin vanished down their respective doorways.

"Well, that's that for the next twelve hours." Ibiki announced to his proctors.

"Who do you think will have trouble, Ibiki-san?" Namiashi Raidō asked as the group headed off to the monitoring station set up for the cameras inside the tunnels.

"If this was a combat exam instead of an infiltrate and retrieve, I'd say the Sunagakure teams, especially the kids from the Yondaime Kazekage." the man replied, "They're made up of a member of the Wind Dancer Corps, the Puppeteer Corps and that other kid, right? In the tunnels, the amount of wind is limited and the narrow corridors greatly limit the space for puppets, leaving the majority of the fighting on the redhead. As it is, it's really any team with a lack of sufficient trust in their teammates. I'd have really preferred the Impossible Situation to this, but someone used that in the Kusagakure exams last time, so here we are."

"I'm glad I didn't have this test for our Chunin Exams." Kamizuki Izumo muttered.

"I hear that." Hagane Kotetsu agreed, "Those traps are just _nasty_. Almost as bad as one of The Uzumaki's pranks."

Ibiki, overhearing this, snorted. "Yeah, SHE isn't going to have a hard time with the traps. Her own skill with pranks combined with the mastery of the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu she possesses means she might as well have a buy through this round, especially since she has a Hyūga on her team."

The other proctors nodded. With the _**Byakugan**_ and expendable clones to ferret out and spring the traps, the Uzumaki was definitely going to get past that section of the exam. Whether she and her teammates could puzzle out which item was her prize was a whole other kettle of fish.

_With Team 8_

"Look out!" Ino squealed as she accidentally tripped a trap, one that activated a hidden shuriken launcher. She, Naruko and Hinata dodged all of them narrowly.

"Ino-chan…Hina-chan's taking point." Naruko said flatly, "That's the _third_ time you've set one off."

The second had been a pressure plate that activated a wall of kunai launchers. The first had been on the stairs leading into the tunnels, turning them into a slide.

Ino hung her head before nodding in agreement. Trap detection hadn't been one of her strong points at the Academy and she hadn't worked on it in ages, not since a few days before her graduation.

"_**Byakugan!**_" Hinata whispered, activating her Kekkei Genkai. She took the lead, with Naruko following her and Ino bringing up the rear.

"Whoever designed this place was very good." Hinata whispered as she led her friends around pressure pads and chakra reactive sensors, "Tokujō-level trap master at least."

"Huh…" Naruko cocked her head, "Bet I could do better."

"Wouldn't you just hit them with a water balloon full of orange paint or something?" Ino asked wryly.

"That would be for _pranks_, Ino-chan." the redhead retorted, "For serious traps, I could make the guys who set these things up look like amateurs."

Hinata halted. "A split path." she whispered.

"Why are you whispering?" Ino asked in confusion.

"Some traps are sound sensitive." the Hyūga Heiress replied simply.

Naruko nodded and silently made six Kage Bunshin, sending three down each tunnel. A minute later, she winced.

"Left side has pitfalls. Chakra repulsion coating on the walls and spikes at the bottom. Too far to jump." she reported, "Not to mention more traps like we've seen before."

"And the right?" Ino asked.

"Pitfalls again, but they are small enough to jump over." Naruko replied, "Downside is that the kunai, shuriken and senbon are dipped in a poison. A paralyzing agent if what my clones felt before they died is accurate."

The fact that Naruko could identify a poison by how her clones had felt when they 'died' was somewhat disturbing, but it was expected considering the number of times people had tried to poison her.

"To the right it is." Ino said.

"I'll use my clones to set the traps off ahead of us." the Uzumaki Heiress said firmly, "No way am I putting you two in range of those launchers."

Ino and Hinata nodded. It was the best plan.

With barely a twitch, two dozen Kage Bunshin copies of Naruko appeared and funnelled down the right side tunnel. After numerous whirring sounds indicative of shuriken and kunai being fired, Naruko nodded to her teammates.

"The way's clear." she reported and led the way in.

_With Team 7_

"HOT! Hothothothothothot!" Kiba yelped as a flamethrower licked at his rear, "Dammit Sasuke, stop deliberately setting off traps!"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted indifferently.

Sakura was pissed at her crush as well, but fought it down. Now wasn't the time.

"Sasuke-kun, please follow Kiba's advice." she said pleadingly, "We can't afford to keep getting bogged down with all of these traps!"

It went against Sasuke's sense of professionalism to do that. He was firmly of the opinion that a disabled or depleted trap was a trap that couldn't be recycled and used against him later, but he was forced to admit that perhaps his teammates had a point here.

"…fine." he huffed.

"Wish he'd have done that before Akamaru got his tail singed!" the Inuzuka Heir muttered under his breath. Akamaru whined in agreement.

_With Team 10_

"Shino, what's the result?" Shikamaru asked.

"My swarm has explored the first two floors of this tunnel complex, with the traps looking like this." the Aburame Heir replied in a monotone, handing over a scroll with the information drawn in a diagram.

The Nara Heir scanned it. "Troublesome. These traps are _just_ challenging enough that we have to work hard to get around them with teamwork, but also tailored to neutralise one of our specialties each. The pressure pads here activate blinding lights that removes any shadows from the area, the motion sensors here floods the room with gas of some kind, probably a pesticide of some kind, while over here, chakra sensors unleash foam of some kind that might restrict movement. No way was this a 'random' selection."

"So what's the plan, Shika?" Chōji asked, unperturbed by that titbit.

Smirking, Shikamaru began to lay out a plan for his teammates to get by this section of the tunnels.

_With Team Gai_

"Neji, give up already." Tenten sighed, "Your _**Byakugan**_ is useless in here."

The Hyūga Prodigy scowled stormily at that. The walls, floor and ceiling here were laced with chakra that prevented his eyes from being able to see through them. It actually _hurt_ to use his Kekkei Genkai. It was actually somewhat frightening for the arrogant boy to realise how much he depended on his bloodline limit to avoid traps.

"I think Tenten-chan should take the lead." Lee opined, "She is the best with traps out of all of us if we ignore your _**Byakugan**_, Neji-kun."

An eyebrow twitched at that, but that was the only reaction that Neji allowed to break through his control as he stiffly nodded his agreement with his overly eccentric teammate.

"Then let us go, in the Springtime of **YOUTH**!" the bowl-cut ninja exclaimed loudly.

"LEE! Inside voice!" Tenten admonished him. Seriously, between Neji's arrogance and Lee's…Gai-ness, she was the only normal ninja on her team, which was exhausting sometimes!

_With the Sand Siblings_

Temari followed behind Gaara with Kankuro as her youngest brother smothered the traps with his sand to allow them to pass. Ordinarily, he'd just let his _**Jidō Bōei: Sunanotate (Automatic Defence: Sand Shield)**_ absorb the fire that would hit him and ignore the rest, but as Temari and Kankuro were necessary to proceed through the exam, he was neutralising the defences completely.

To the eldest of the Sand Siblings, it was still an indication that, deep down, Gaara cared for them. It meant that maybe, just maybe, she or someone else could save him from the darkness that had consumed him since Yashamaru and their father had tainted him with it.

The blond knew that Kankuro had very little belief or hope in that ever happening, but humoured her nevertheless. His habit of stealing her makeup to one side, he was a very good little brother.

"How long has it been now?" Kankuro asked her in an undertone, referring to how long it had been since Gaara had stopped to crush a particular trap for some reason.

"Ten minutes." Temari replied before wincing as the screech of tortured metal signalled the destruction of another trap to have mysteriously offended her brother.

"Countdown reset." Kankuro sighed.

_With the Sound Team_

Kin hated having to get up close and personal with her enemies. Her Taijutsu was decent, sure, but not anything to write home about. Despite this, she had Zaku trapped in a headlock and was currently engaged in bashing his head off the wall.

"Don't you _dare_ try to use your _**Zankūha (Decapitating Sound Waves)**_ in here, you moron!" she shouted angrily, with a bit of fear mixed in as well.

"Bitch! Let me go!" he growled before his head was once more bounced of the wall.

"Do you have _any_ idea what would happen if Dosu and I hadn't stopped you from blasting those traps? Do you?!" Kin shouted at him, "You'd have _brought the fucking ceiling _down on our _heads_, that's what!"

"Tch, yeah right!" the arrogant boy scoffed, before Dosu slammed his Melody Arm lightly onto the side of his head, affecting Zaku's inner ear and disorientating him.

"Now you listen to me!" Dosu hissed angrily, "You will follow Kin and me and not say a word, nor will you even try to use those fancy arms of yours. If you fail to obey these orders, I will render you unconscious and then let 'Otokage-sama' decide your punishment after the Second Stage. Am. I. Understood?"

"Yes, damn you!" Zaku growled.

"Kin, let him go." Dosu instructed her. Reluctantly, Kind did so, distancing herself from Zaku as soon as she let him go.

"Fuckers. I'll get you for this!" the black-haired boy hissed.

"Not if you don't want 'Otokage-sama' to abandon you." the bandaged team leader snarked back before turning around and heading off down the tunnel.

"I'll definitely fuck _you_ up, bitch!" Zaku snarled at Kin, "You'll live to regret being born female!"

Chills went down Kin's spine at that. Rape wasn't uncommon at Otogakure; those it happened to rarely lasted longer than a few months before they either committed suicide or were on one of Orochimaru's operating tables.

"Not before the end of this exam you won't." she sneered back, "If you fuck this up, 'Otokage-sama' will take it out of your hide!"

She then turned and followed Dosu, mentally planning how to eliminate Zaku as soon as the exams were over.

_Later_

_Team 8_

Naruko eased her way into the room cautiously. She glanced around and beckoned to her teammates that it was safe to come in. As they did so, they examined the room.

It was about the size of their old Academy classroom, but with nothing inside it but three altar-like objects in the centre. Atop them were three ornate-looking swords with various extra blades protruding from the main body of the sword. One had seven blades, one had eight and the last had nine. None of them had hilts.

"Well this is a pickle." Ino observed, "Which is our target? The one with seven blades? It makes sense since it is called a Shichishitō."

"Not necessarily." Hinata warned her, "It could be any of them. All swords like this are called Shichishitō because the first one ever created had seven blades."

"OK, so how do we sort the real one from the fakes?" Naruko asked.

"There're inscriptions on the pedestal-things." Ino said as she pointed.

Each of the genin went up to one of the blades.

"This one has seven blades, including the point." Ino said, "The inscription says 'Seven blades of fortune to carry the country through turmoil.' Weird…"

"This one has eight." Hinata said, "The inscription says, 'Eight blades of justice to bring the land to peace.'"

"This one has nine." Naruko chuckled darkly at the irony, "The inscription says, 'Nine blades of chaos to rend the land asunder and create it anew.'"

"OK, but how do we choose?!" Ino fumed.

"Look at the wall over there." Hinata pointed to the wall opposite the door. It was divided into three with three different murals. One had a man sitting on a throne with a Shichishitō-shaped hole in one hand and a beneficent expression on his face. The next one had that same man mounted on a horse and in full armour, a resolute expression on his face and another man next to him on foot carrying a hole about the right size for a Shichishitō.

The last was a scene of carnage, with the bodies of armoured samurai lying scattered around the barely standing body of the familiar man, his armour rent and shattered, blood leaking from the holes. His face was dogged and determined. He was supported by a hole that again looked like it would hold a Shichishitō. At the top of the three murals was a simple sentence.

'**Choose the path that you must take in a world that stands still.'**

"What the hell?!" Ino said in bewilderment, "What the heck does that mean?"

"It means that we have to choose a sword and place it in the corresponding painting." Hinata replied with a frown, "I do not understand the criteria for that choice though."

"…in a world that stands still." Naruko muttered, "What does that mean?"

"It means a peaceful world, I think." her girlfriend replied with a pensive expression on her face, "So I think we can eliminate the nine-bladed sword from the equation. That leaves the other two."

"So wait; these swords each embody a concept." Ino theorised, "Peace, Justice and Chaos. If the world is peaceful, Chaos and Justice aren't really needed are they? So let's try the seven-bladed sword."

Naruko was silent for a moment. "Water that doesn't flow turns stagnant." she said at last.

"Huh?" Hinata and Ino said in confusion.

"A world being 'still' and a world being 'peaceful' aren't the same thing." Naruko argued, "If it's still, it's merely unchanging, stuck in a rut. In which case Peace and Justice are just supporting the status quo. I think the nine-bladed sword is the right one."

Ino frowned in thought. "You…might have a point there."

"Still, trying the others wouldn't hurt." Hinata countered.

The Uzumaki Heiress shook her head. "For all we know, we only have the one try. If we fail, it'll activate some kind of trap. We have to choose one and stick with it, come what may."

"Fine then. Let's go with your choice." Ino sighed, "Hinata-chan?"

"H-Hai…" the bluenette nodded.

"OK then." Naruko walked over and removed the nine bladed sword from its mounting. When she did, the other two sank into their pedestals.

Throwing an I-told-ya-so look at her friends, Naruko led them to the third mural. Up close, the man looked sad as well as determined; as if he hadn't wanted to do what he had done, but had nevertheless done it because he had to.

The Uzumaki Heiress considered the man for a moment before flipping the sword around so that the bottom of the weapon was facing up, so that when she placed it into the slot, it looked like the man was leaning in it as he knelt.

When she pushed it in, it sank home with a click. With a rumble, the mural sank into the floor, leading into another tunnel lit with dim lights.

"Well, here goes nothing." Naruko muttered as the three entered the tunnel, the doorway closing behind them. As they walked, the genin kept an eye out for any tell-tale signs of the traps that they had come across. Strangely, there were none, which was encouraging.

"I can't _believe_ this place was made by chakra." Ino said.

"It wasn't." Hinata shook her head, "The doorways in were, but these tunnels are at least five years old. Possibly a full decade old."

"How can you tell?" Ino asked.

"The scent of dust combined with the lack of overt chakra in the structure." the Hyūga Heiress replied, "A tunnel made using Doton Ninjutsu would glow like a banked fire in my _**Byakugan's**_ vision, whereas there are only trace amounts of background chakra around us."

"So this place was made specifically for the Chunin exams? Over five years ago?" the Yamanaka Heiress had a hard time grasping that.

"It makes sense." Naruko said distantly as she kept the majority of her focus on locating any possible traps, "They must switch exams around depending on what the other villages have used for their chunin exams."

"Huh." Ino muttered. It was odd, seeing Naruko analyse something like that, but considering all the time she had put into reading up on her clan and its actions over its long and proud existence, the blond supposed that such a change wasn't that unexpected.

At length, the trio stopped in front of a large stone door with the carving of a nine-bladed sword on it. When Naruko pushed it into the door, it sunk into the ground.

Within this new chamber, another nine-bladed sword lay atop a pedestal. Unlike the previous Shichishitō, it was a heavily decorated one, inlaid with gold, brass, copper and with a proper handle fitted to it. Engraved on the blade was a simple sentence.

"'By chaos and flames, the world shall be reborn.'" Ino read, "Looks like the right one."

Naruko carefully picked it up and knew by its weight that it would be close to impossible to wield it in combat. It was unbalanced in a way she found it hard to credit that it was made by a swordsmith. It felt more like it had been made by pouring metal into a mould.

Shrugging, she sealed it into a storage seal inscribed on her left sleeve before looking around. "Search the room for a way out of here."

Nodding, Hinata and Ino moved to obey. It wasn't hard to find the next clue, considering the room was sparsely furnished, with only the pedestal and a wall scroll bearing the Leaf insignia of Konohagakure filling the room.

"A hidden passage behind a scroll…classic karakuri ninja tricks." Ino smirked as she lifted the scroll in question to reveal a square-shaped hole in the wall.

"True." Naruko nodded, "Let's get outta here."

"It's very small." Hinata observed, "I don't think you'll be able to have your sword on your back while inside it, Naruko-chan."

"Meh. That's why it can be carried in my hands, Hina-chan." Naruko replied as she slid the sheath off her back before clambering inside, with Ino and Hinata following her.

The passage was barely wide enough to allow the girls to crawl forward while lying flat on their front. Ino kept grumbling about how it was making her clothes dirty, but other than that, it was fairly quiet.

After a while, Naruko whispered back, "I see light up ahead."

"Finally!" the Yamanaka Heiress grumbled.

One by one, they dropped out of their hole into a large circular chamber with other holes the same as the one they had crawled out of. Surprisingly, Yakushi Kabuto and his team were there as well.

"Ah, Naruko-san." the bespectacled genin greeted her with a smile and a nod, "I see your team solved the riddle as well."

"What did you have to retrieve?" Naruko asked.

The silver-haired boy held up a very curved sword. "This Tachi. You?"

Naruko unsealed the Shichishitō. "This."

"I see. Hmm." Kabuto nodded, "An unusual choice for a ninja exam, I must say."

Privately, Naruko agreed.

Over the next few minutes, various examinees trickled from the holes around the room. Most looked exhausted, and a few were covered in wounds. As most of these were the older genin teams, Team 8 was forced to wonder if lifetime genin were simply those not suited for being promoted.

Team 7, Team 10 and Team Gai crawled out almost simultaneously. Neji's was squinting, much to Hinata's confusion. This was cleared up when Tenten filled the rest in about the chakra-laced walls in their tunnels.

"Troublesome. Looks like they wanted to make a point to all of us about our dependence on our clan jutsu or bloodline abilities." Shikamaru complained, "What a drag. Now I'll have to branch out or Kaa-san won't stop griping at me about it."

"You mean you've been coasting since we got assigned to our teams, Shika?" Ino asked with a smirk, "I've been training to become better at close up confrontations, and a few mid-range attacks to boot. I bet I could kick your butt all over the place right now, _**Kagemane no Jutsu**_ or no."

"Troublesome." the Nara Heir grumbled.

"Looks like the traps were enough to take care of quite a few of the others." Naruko mused as she looked around, "There are less than half of the examinees here than there were at the start."

"How long has it been since the exam started, actually?" Kiba asked, "I have no idea what the time is."

"It was about ten in the morning when we started." Chōji mused with a thoughtful expression, "I'd say it had to be at least a couple of hours."

"It's been six hours, actually." Morino Ibiki said casually as he silently appeared behind the Akimichi Heir, making him jump in surprise, "Everyone assemble in their teams!"

Once they had done so, the man stalked into the middle of the large room, his trench coat flapping ominously behind him.

"Congratulations on actually making it through the tunnels." he said once he reached the middle of the room, "Everyone who is not here has either been forced to retire due to injuries to one or more members of their team or accidentally breaking the emergency rod you were given earlier. This does not mean that you pass, however."

"What do you mean?" an Amegakure genin asked suspiciously.

"I mean that now it must be determined if you all who are present chose the correct item." Ibiki smirked at the looks of dismay on most of the faces around him. He tapped his foot on a particular part of the floor and the holes that no genin would emerge from closed seamlessly, while the rest sprouted slots beneath them and numbers above them, corresponding with the tunnel they came from.

"The authentication process is simple; insert the item you have chosen into the slot and wait. If the exit-hole closes, you pass. If not, you fail." Ibiki stated, "So who would like to go first?"

Nobody moved for a moment before Naruko rolled her eyes, walked towards the hole numbered 20 and slid the Shichishitō into the slot. With a well-oiled click, the hole closed.

"Congratulations." Ibiki nodded, "Team 8 is officially the first to pass Stage One of the Chunin Exams."

That prompted the rest to hurry to put their items to the test. Cries of dismay came from some, but most had gotten the correct item. Naruko noticed, to her relief, that all of the Rookie 9 and Team Gai had passed, along with Gaara's team.

The Uzumaki Heiress couldn't help but give the Sunagakure Jinchūriki's older sister a subtle appraising look. She had quickly discovered that she had two main types; shy, retiring girls like Hinata and proud, confident girls like Ino and Anko.

Temari _definitely_ fell into the latter category. Confidence bordering on arrogance emanated off her like tidal waves. Every step, aside from when her youngest brother so much as twitched, was self-assured, full of the knowledge that she was good looking and that she could and would kick someone's ass if they tried to get fresh with her, male or female.

She paused as she spotted a team with the music note symbol of the new village Otogakure looking intently as Sasuke. The three were very much a study in how to dress the same but look different. The girl was the most normal-looking one of the lot, but there was just a hint of despair in her eyes that gave Naruko pause.

The two boys were, no questions asked, weird. One was hunched over with a straw raincoat on his back, a poncho with long sleeves and urban camo trousers. His head was wrapped in bandages except for his left eye.

The other wore a happuri-style hitai-ate, a beige shirt with three prints of the kanji for death on the front and urban camo trousers. He wore an eager expression as he looked at Sasuke.

'_Well damn. Looks like someone wants to kick the crap out of the last of the once-mighty Uchiha Clan._' Naruko thought with a grimace. Something _else_ to tell her friends after this in addition to a warning about Gaara.

"Congratulations to all of you for passing this stage of the exams." Ibiki said, drawing her attention away from her thoughts, "Do not become complacent however. If some of you thought _this_ stage was hard, it has n_othing_ on the next one. Meet tomorrow at midday outside of Training Ground 44...if you dare. Dismissed."

With that, he vanished. As he did so, the roof telescoped open fully, blinding most of the genin, who were then thrown off balance by the floor rising up to the level of the ground with a machine-like clank.

"Well, that was fun." the Uzumaki Heiress remarked with a shrug, making several genin gape at her in disbelief.

"Only you, Naruko." Ino sighed.

Naruko lowered her voice as they walked away from the exam, "I need you two to grab the rest of the Rookie 9. I'll grab Team Gai. There's something you guys need to know."

"Is it why you've been on edge all day?" Hinata asked in concern.

"Partially." Naruko grimaced, "Meet at Ichiraku's."

She sped over to Tenten after that, leaving her teammates to obey her orders.

_Later_

_Ichiraku Ramen_

"Why is it you have dragged us here, Dobe?" Sasuke demanded.

The rest of the Rookie 9, plus Neji, Tenten and Rock Lee, nodded in agreement, as Naruko finished her fifth bowl of Ramen.

"We are in deep trouble." Naruko replied as she set the bowl to one side with a nod towards Teuchi, "And I don't mean the exams themselves. Sunagakure have put a ringer in the exams."

Shikamaru frowned. "Because they're close to bankruptcy, right?"

"Pretty much." Naruko nodded, "He's _at least _Jonin-level, maybe a bit above that. The Kazekage's youngest son, Gaara."

"Him?" Neji scoffed.

"Him." the Uzumaki Heiress confirmed grimly, "No joke. He's not only strong, he's ruthless and a psychopath. He would happily kill anyone who crosses his path because it would validate his existence. _Anyone_."

"He scares you." Sasuke said flatly.

"Screw that." Naruko snorted, "He fucking _terrifies_ me. Worse still, he's locked on me as a target for in the third stage of the exams. What I gathered you all here was to tell you to steer clear of him. Do not attack him or even go near him unless it is unavoidable."

"And why should we listen to you?" Neji sneered slightly.

"Because inside the exams, he can kill you without legal recourse." the redhead stated flatly, "I _know_ how strong everyone here is Neji, _including_ you, and hear me when I say that _none of us _can match him, even if we all attack at once, he'd kill us within five minutes, tops."

Hearing such chilly pessimism from the usually upbeat Naruko made some of the listening genin start to worry.

"Just because _you_ are scared of this Gaara-" Neji started to say before being cut off by Naruko.

"The _Hokage_ himself is assigning an _entire_ team of ANBU Black Ops to shadow and watch Gaara outside of the exams _in addition _to the team shadowing his team." she hissed, "Do you think you know better than the Sandaime Kami no Shinobi? If you do then you are a fool."

"She's right Neji." Tenten said softly, "One team of ANBU should be enough to handle any genin, no matter how powerful. If Hokage-sama is assigning _two_ teams to watch this guy, then I think we should take her warning seriously."

"Agreed." Shikamaru nodded absently, "Naruko, you said before the First Stage that this Gaara character uses Jiton Ninjutsu. How do you know that?"

"He's the son of Sabaku no Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage, who can use Jiton with Gold Dust." Naruko replied, "It explains the lack of any weaponry on him and the gourd. What makes it worse is the fact he's using actual _sand_ instead of metal dust."

"Troublesome. You're right again." the Nara Heir sighed.

"Why? What's the big deal about him using sand instead of iron or gold?" Ino asked with a frown.

"Metal -_magnetic_ metals anyway- really reduce the chakra cost of using Jiton." Shikamaru explained, "Sand, on the other hand, is usually silica, quartz if you want to be pedantic. To be able to use Jiton on a non-magnetic conducting material like quartz, you'd have to have more chakra than Asuma-sensei, maybe more than any two of our Jonin-sensei put together."

"And this guy's going to be after you?!" Sakura exclaimed as she looked at Naruko in fear for her friend.

She smiled back at the pinkette wanly. "I'll be fine, Sakura-chan. All I have to do is avoid him until the end of Stage Two, and then he'll head back to Suna for a month. At that point I start to train myself into the ground so I can survive."

"What if you fail to get past Stage Two?" Shino asked in a monotone.

"He'll come after me regardless of if I pass or not." Naruko replied with a shake of her head, "I'll just have to get through to Stage Three; there won't be any civilians in the way that way."

"You know what Stage Three is? How?" Sasuke demanded.

"It isn't a big secret, Teme." Naruko replied, "While the first two stages vary from exam to exam, they are always team oriented, while the last stage is always an individual event; an elimination tournament."

As the group digested this, Naruko turned to Sasuke. "Also, you should keep an eye out for any Otogakure shinobi you meet in the next stage of the exams. One group looked as if they wanted to rip your head off and dance on it."

"Hn. They're welcome to try." the Last Uchiha snorted, "Thanks for the warning though…Dobe."

"Heh. Just make sure you get through to the Third Stage, Teme." Naruko sassed back, "I want to be the one who kicks your ass…again!"

"Bring it, Dobe!" Sasuke sneered.

The odd thing about the expressions on both of their faces was the small smirks they each had. This had Sakura, Ino and Hinata with feelings of jealousy, although the latter two were feeling jealous about completely different things than the former.

_Elsewhere_

"Kukukukukukukuku…things are progressing very well." Orochimaru chuckled sinisterly as he regarded his subordinate displaying the stats of the various shinobi in the exams with his cards. Several promising test subjects were present.

"Indeed they are, Orochimaru-sama." Kabuto bowed, "I have also discovered what happened to Hachidoro Kaen."

"Tell me." the Snake Sannin ordered.

"His opponents were Teams Seven and Eight, as well as the former member of the Seven Swordsman of the Mist, Momochi Zabuza, and his apprentice, Yuki Haku." the silver-haired man stated, "But the one who dealt the killing blow was one Uzumaki Naruko."

"So…the Kyūbi Jinchūriki defeated Kaen-kun…" Orochimaru mused, "And she was taught by Anko-chan…kukukukukukuku…I shall have to…_test_…them in the Forest of Death, I believe."

"In addition to bestowing your…gift…upon Sasuke-kun?" Kabuto raised an eyebrow, "Orochimaru-sama, is that not somewhat risky? If they were able to subdue Hachidoro, they could pose something of a threat to you."

"The only one with above average abilities is the Jinchūriki." the pallid man stated contemptuously, "And she can be…_dealt_ with…by the simple application of a _**Gogyō Fūin (Five-Element Seal)**_ to her own _**Hakke Fūin**_. No, I will be in no danger from Anko-chan's striplings. It will provide a most amusing diversion, I believe. Now I must maintain my disguise for tomorrow. Wouldn't want it to expire before its use has run out, would I…?"

With a disturbing smirk on his face, the Snake Sannin turned to a glass container filled with a green liquid. Floating inside was the skin from a human face. Even separated from its owner, the look of horror was still visible on the skin.

"Tomorrow will be very…interesting." Orochimaru purred with a maniacal gleam in his eyes.

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**Next Chapter: Exam Round Two: The Forest of Death, Part 1**

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	31. Exam Round 2:The Forest of Death, Part 1

**Check my profile for my writing schedule!**

**Read, Review and check out my other stories!**

**Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, he is Kishimoto's**

"Dattebayo!" -normal speech

'_Dobe_' -Thoughts

'{_Shannaro!}_' -Inner Sakura

"**Ningen" **-Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Speech

'**Brat'** -Boss Summon/Tailed Beast Thoughts

"_**Kage Bunshin!**_" -Ninjutsu/Genjutsu/Taijutsu move.

**Chapter 31:** **Exam Round Two: The Forest of Death, Part 1**

_The Next Day_

_Training Ground 44, the Forest of Death_

"That forest smells more dangerous than Zabuza." Kiba said uneasily. The Inuzuka Heir was giving the forest behind the chain-link fence worried glances. On his head, Akamaru whined in agreement.

"I've read about the Forest of Death." Sakura said with a frown, "It's supposed to be a chaos zone, full of naturally strong chakra that warped the animals into enormous mutated beasts. Not to mention what it has done to the flora."

Indeed, the trees were many times larger than the norm, even for those created by the Mokuton Ninjutsu of the Shodaime Hokage. The trees in the centre of the forest were the tallest that any of the genin, even the home-grown ones, had ever seen.

"Anko-sensei told us about it." Hinata said as she walked up to the group, "There are huge insects, flesh-eating tigers and all sorts of weird plants that are a constant danger to anyone who enters it. She goes in there sometimes for 'light exercise' or so she says."

Sasuke stared at the Hyūga for a moment. "Your sensei is weird, Hyūga."

"If she was here, she'd kick your ass for saying that, Teme." Naruko said with a scowl at the black-haired Uchiha for the slight insult to her lover.

The Uchiha Heir actually looked around warily just to double-check that Mitarashi Anko wasn't around and about to unleash a can of ass-whopping on him. Even _he_ wasn't arrogant enough to get on the bad side of the Snake Mistress of Konoha.

"Naruko-chan, where's Ino-chan?" Hinata asked, "There's only five minutes until the exam starts."

"She's just a couple of minutes behind me." The Uzumaki Heiress reassured her girlfriend, "She used up all of her shuriken in one of the traps yesterday, so she went to buy some from a ninja tools shop."

"She could have just borrowed some from our spare shuriken supplies." The Hyūga Heiress said with a frown.

"You know Ino-chan; way too much pride in her to do that." Naruko said knowingly. Hinata agreed with a nod.

"Where's Team Gai?" Sakura asked as she looked around the gathered Genin.

"Over by the fence." Naruko indicated the location with a jab of her thumb, "I think Neji is pissed at me for implying that Gaara is stronger than him, so he's making Tenten and Lee stay away from us."

"What an immature reaction." The pinkette said with a shake of her head.

"Neji-nii-san is the Prodigy of the Hyūga Clan, Sakura-san." Hinata said with an uncomfortable look on her face, "He can best both Hanabi and I in a fight and his _**Jūken**_ is rated at being Jonin-level. Aside from Otou-sama and Gai-sensei, no one has _ever_ beaten him in a fight. I think what you said hurt his pride."

"Yeah, but that was before you started learning your mother's _**Jūho**_ style." Naruko pointed out reasonably, "You haven't sparred with him since you graduated from the Academy, right?"

"It isn't just about the style." Hinata disagreed, "Neji-nii-san has a powerful _**Byakugan**_ that is surpassed only by Otou-sama's own. He could see the _tenketsu_ at the age of _eight_, whereas I could only start to see them last year, and I can now finally see all of them whenever I activate my _**Byakugan**_, but that only happened in the last month. Additionally, I don't like t-to hurt people. Neji-nii-san can do so easily, plus his combat sense is far greater than my own."

Naruko decided that, once the exams were over, the Hyūga Clan was going to get an _epic_ series of pranks laid down on them, just for allowing Hinata's sense of self-worth to be lowered to this extent.

"Meh. Maybe you'll get a chance to fight him in the Third Round and prove your clan wrong about you." Naruko gave Hinata a one-armed hug that made the shy girl flush red.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru's drawling voice came from behind them, and Teams 7 and 8 turned to see Team10 coming towards them, Shikamaru looking irked for some reason, while Shino and Chōji looked the same as ever.

"What's stuck up your butt, Shikamaru?" Ino asked as she came up next to Naruko, much to the relief of her teammates.

"My old man was being troublesome last night." The Nara Heir grumbled, "I think he knows what our task is today and he thinks it's funny."

"He would know." Shino said quietly, "Why is that? Because he is the Jonin Commander of Konoha."

"I know. I just hate it when he acts like this." The pineapple-haired boy grumbled, "It's just so…_troublesome_."

"He's just doing this to get a rise out of you, Shika." Naruko pointed out, "It drives smart people like you nuts to not be able to figure something out. He knows that because he's smart as well."

"Troublesome redhead." The boy grumbled.

An explosion of smoke appeared in the centre of the genin, revealing the exam proctors from the previous day…and a man who made Shikamaru's jaw drop.

"Attention kids." A lazy voice drawled from a man wearing a typical Konoha Jonin outfit, along with a deerskin fur jacket over the top of it and green arm protectors. His face had a scar over the right temple, as well as one under his right eye leading down to his throat.

"The name is Nara Shikaku, Jonin Commander of Konoha and, as troublesome as it might be, the Head Proctor of this second-stage of the Chunin Exams." He finished, flashing a smirk at Shikamaru, who facepalmed, muttering, "Troublesome embarrassing parents!"

_With the Jonin_

_Central Tower of the Forest of Death_

"So Shikaku won the draw." Asuma mused.

"Isn't it a misuse of manpower to have the _Jonin Commander_, of all people, in charge of one of the exams?" Kurenai asked with a frown.

"For anyone else, you might be right, but not when it comes to Shikaku." Kakashi said with a nod at the screen, "All members of the Nara Clan are smart, having IQ's ranging from 110 to 125, but for whatever reason, the Main Family of the Nara always have IQ's ranging from 130 to over 200. Asuma, knowing you, you tricked Shikamaru into taking an IQ test. What was his score?"

"Over 200." The bearded Jonin admitted, "And yet he's still no match for his father. He has an IQ of just fewer than 300."

Kurenai's eyes, which had widened at the revelation of Shikamaru's IQ, positively bulged when his father's IQ was revealed. "Th-_three-hundred_?! That's ridiculous!"

"It's not unheard of, Kurenai." Asuma replied, "Fact is, I have no idea what Shikamaru's _real_ IQ is. The test he took only goes up to two-hundred. He'd have to take one designed by the Nara Clan to determine his exact IQ."

"We're getting a bit away from the point here." Kakashi broke in, "The point is that Shikaku can multitask like no one's business. He probably finished all his duties well in advance when he got selected. Either that or he dodged them, but with Yoshino as his wife, that's not likely."

A chorus of sage nods came from the men. Nara Yoshino was much feared for her skill in one of the most unexpected weapons available; the humble frying pan, used for cooking and smacking the perpetually lazy Nara men into shape.

"Wonder what he's cooked up to test the Genin?" Asuma muttered thoughtfully.

"I think he's about to start explaining now." Anko put in as she sashayed over to them, "I hope he does something good; wouldn't want _too many_ people in the Third Round Qualifiers."

_Back with the Genin_

"What the Proctors are passing out right now are forms. Sign 'em or you don't get to take the Second Exam." Shikaku stated firmly.

"What are they?" Temari of Sunagakure asked suspiciously.

"Just stating that if you die in the Forest of Death behind me, Konoha is not legally liable, as you understand the risk and accept the possibility that you could be killed, either by someone standing here or by the denizens of the forest themselves." The Jonin Commander replied laconically.

"It can't be that dangerous…can it?" a Genin from Kusagakure muttered, then flinched as the bloody body of a huge monkey was flung from inside the inside of the forest. It looked as if it had been run over by a lawnmower and then whipped by a cat o' nine tails.

"That answer your question?" Shikaku asked lazily, "Please sign the form or walk away until the next exams. Last chance."

While this did intimidate some of the Genin, it did not do so to the point that they did not sign and hand back the forms. Once they were all signed and handed in, Shikaku started his speech.

"Now, as you can see behind me, Training Ground Forty-Four, otherwise known as the Forest of Death, is very much a dangerous place. New Tokujō are sent through it and rated on how few injuries they have when they come out the other side." He stated, making the Genin tense with worry, "That being said, as you are only Chunin hopefuls, you will not be sent through the deep area of the forest, just some of the outlying trees of it."

He formed a handsign and muttered, " _**Kai!**_"

Behind him, the shape of a tower appeared, looming near to but not among the tallest trees near the centre of the forest.

"That tower there is your goal." The Jonin Commander told them, "Your goal is to reach it…while carrying one of these."

In his hands, he held a black scroll and a white scroll. The black one had the kanji '**地**' (Earth) emblazoned on it, while the white one had the kanji '**天**' (Heaven) instead.

"These Heaven and Earth Scrolls will be distributed to teams. You might get a Heaven Scroll or an Earth Scroll." He continued, "In addition to needing to get to the tower, you need to reach it whilst carrying one Heaven and one Earth Scroll per team. This means you will have to take it from another team."

"Does that mean killing is permitted in this round?" Gaara asked in his rough voice, making Temari and Kankuro flinch away from him at his words.

"If you need to be so blunt, yes. That's why we had you sign those forms; so no one bitches about you dying in there, by forest hazards or by other genin." Shikaku replied with a frown, "Additionally, you have a time limit of five days. After that, ANBU teams will go in and extract you."

He looked up and grinned. "Up until now, that is what most exams here have been, but I have added my own twist. Inside the Forest are three checkpoints. You are, on your way through the forest, to find them, enter them and solve a puzzle, which will give you one of these necklaces."

Putting down the scrolls, he pulled out a bronze necklace shaped like the petal of a flower from his pocket.

"The necklace will have a different shape for each team and, when one of you puts it on, will have a symbol in the centre that matches you." He explained, "Each puzzle is different and requires a different member of your team to solve it. This leads to the rule that a different team member must solve each puzzle and then wear the necklace you receive. Turn up at the tower with scrolls and even one missing necklace and you fail the exam. All team members must be alive in order to pass, so protect your teammates or you fail."

He paused before remembering something, "Oh yeah. Don't open the scrolls you receive until you reach the tower. You will not like what happens to you if you do."

"Why? What will happen?" a nervous Tsukigakure Genin demanded.

"That would be…too troublesome to tell you." Shikaku deadpanned, making the Genin faceplant at his words, especially Shikamaru.

"Troublesome old man." The Nara Heir grumbled.

"Now then, choose one of the gates and stand next to it once you have received your scroll." The Jonin Commander said before yawning, "Troublesome job. Well, what are you waiting for? An engraved invitation? Move!"

_Gate Twenty_

"At least this one isn't a nine." Naruko muttered and glared at the Earth Scroll in her hand before creating some _**Kage Bunshin**_ around the team to stop people from seeing into the team huddle and then sealed it away inside a seal on her sleeve.

"Y-yes…there have been a lot of nines cropping up in this exam." Hinata said with a frown, "Y-you don't think someone is trying to make a point?"

"Pathetic." Ino scowled.

"If they are, and this is the best they can do, I am not worried." The Uzumaki Heiress scoffed, "Now, let's get to the tower and win this thing!"

"Right." Her teammates said in unison.

_Gate 40_

"Damn it, couldn't we have gotten one closer to the Uchiha?" Zaku hissed irritably.

"Unless you wanted to fight the other teams and get disqualified before we're even out of the gate, then no." Kin hissed back, "It was _your_ bright idea to hang around the edges of the crowd, which put us to the back of the line when it came to getting a scroll. We have five days; there's no need to rush."

"Kin is right, on both counts." Dosu said with a scornful look at Zaku, "First, we secure an Earth Scroll, then the first two necklaces, and THEN we go for the Uchiha. That means you don't run off and do stupid shit, Zaku."

"Fuck you." The boy sneered.

_Gate 5_

"This is going to be tough." Sakura said, biting her lip as she thought out what her team would have to do, "The first thing we have to do is secure a base of operations, then go out and hunt down the Earth Scroll we need before searching for the checkpoints."

"No, we'll just find the scrolls we need, take it and then get the necklaces." Sasuke disagreed, "Quick and easy."

"Are you stupid?" Kiba asked bluntly, "Just in case it slipped your mind, we have to beat a team of shinobi to get the scroll and there's no guarantee we'll get the right scroll the first time around! Sakura has the right idea here!"

"Kiba…" Sakura was taken aback by the Inuzuka Heir's 180 in regards to her. He had told them a few weeks ago that someone had messed with his mind and made him act like he had previously. He had also apologised to her for what he had tried to do to her, but this was the first time he had spoken up in her favour when Sasuke tried to bulldoze his way into default command of the three of them.

"Hn. Do as you please." Sasuke grunted, "I'll do as I want."

"No!" Sakura felt like pulling her hair out because of how stubborn Sasuke was being here, "We need to stay together and work as a team! This is a _team_ event, Sasuke-kun!"

"…fine." The Last Uchiha sighed.

_Gate 30_

Orochimaru, hidden in his disguise, chuckled to himself. This was a fascinating test, one that would no doubt eliminate a goodly amount of the weaklings from the exam. Why, he might not have to dispatch Tayuya and Jirōbō, posing as his 'teammates' at the moment, to eliminate them.

'_I really should thank Shikaku for making my job easier…kukukukukukuku…_' the Snake Sannin thought with a sinister smile.

_Gate 1_

"How long do you think that it'll take us to get everything done and get to the tower, Nee-chan?" Kankuro asked.

"Less than six hours." The Wind Mistress shrugged, "Probably less than half that."

"It will be." Gaara growled, "I have no time for weaklings. Only defeating the strong gives meaning to my existence."

_Back with Shikaku_

The Head of the Nara Clan chuckled as he saw all the Genin muttering plans to each other. Really, they were so transparent. Better add in the last rule now.

"OK, one final rule before I start the exam." He announced, "Anyone who attacks a proctor of this exam is automatically expelled from the exam. No exceptions, no ifs ands or buts. Understood?"

He could see most of the genin looked confused, but his son, as well as a few others, looked intrigued. Good. At least a few would figure it out once they got to the checkpoints then.

"Now that all of the rules have been given, I will start this exam and open the gates on the count of ten." Shikaku said, "Ready? One, Two…Ten!"

As the gates slid open smoothly, Shikaku regarded the proctors who were staring at him pointedly.

"What?" he said defensively, "Counting all the numbers between two and ten would have been too troublesome."

An old man viewing the start of the exam in his crystal ball groaned and facepalmed at the laziness of his Jonin Commander.

_With Team 8_

Naruko sped into the forest, swiftly followed by Hinata and Ino. They climbed the trees using the Tree Climbing Exercise and then started tree jumping their way through the forest.

"OK, first things first..._**Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**_!" Naruko said, making the Clone Handsign. In an explosion of chakra smoke, the trees around them were filled with countless Shadow Clones.

"All of you _**Henge**_ into animals and spread out throughout the forest!" the redhead ordered, "Dispel when you find a checkpoint!"

"Hai!" the clones chorused and did as instructed, turning into birds that flew away, as well as tigers that leapt over the branches. Something Naruko had done the previous day, after getting back from the First Exam, was to grill Anko about the kinds of creatures that lived in the Forest of Death. At the top of the list were the white tigers, three times as large as the regular type found in Hi no Kuni's mountain forests. Every animal in the forest, unless looking for a quick death, knew to give the alpha predators a lot of distance, so it was the perfect way to disguise the ground-bound clones.

"I take it we're going to set up camp then?" Ino asked, raising one elegant blond eyebrow in query.

"Yes and you are going to memorise the trap arrangement so you can't set any of them off." Naruko said firmly, making Ino flinch then nod sullenly in agreement. She was still a bit embarrassed at her low skills in trap detection.

"I'll keep an eye out with my _**Byakugan**_." Hinata said with a nod.

"Not all the time." Naruko said firmly, "If I remember right, keeping your Dōjutsu active for longer than five minutes is a strain for most Hyūga. Scan once every ten minutes and if you suspect someone is nearby. Don't push yourself."

"Naruko-chan, you really are a worrywart." Hinata complained, but she had a smile on her face, so Naruko didn't take it at face value.

"Let's go." She said instead and the three kunoichi leapt deeper into the Forest of Death.

_Team 7_

"This place'll do." Kiba said with a nod as he looked around the clearing, "The hollow in the tree will be good for shelter and there's plenty of room for traps. Can you make traps or just set them off, Uchiha?"

"Hn." Sasuke grunted, "I can make them, mutt. Give me a couple of hours and no one will be able to come here without blowing themselves up."

"I'll add a few of my traps as well." Sakura added, "Ones that will only go off when I want them to. It's always good to keep a few surprises up your sleeve."

"Your battle dress doesn't _have_ sleeves, Sakura." Kiba pointed out.

"Metaphorically, you idiot!" the pinkette rolled her eyes, "Kiba, you and Akamaru can keep watch while Sasuke-kun and I work. Last thing we need is for another team to ambush us as we work."

"On it. Akamaru, go to the other side of the clearing and let me know if you see anyone." The Inuzuka Heir ordered. The white ninken pup barked once before jumping down and trotting over to leap atop a tree stump that had been severed sometime in the past.

'_That stump…looks like something cut through it in a single blow._' Sasuke thought as he pulled out his trapping supplies, '_I can't do anything like that yet…I need to train more…so I can kill him!_'

_Team Ten_

"_**Kagemane no Jutsu! (Shadow Possession Jutsu!)**_" Shikamaru said as he made the Rat Handsign. His shadow leapt forwards, split into three and latched onto the shadow of the attacking Hoshigakure Genin, freezing them in place.

Shino followed up with, "_**Kikaichū: Sanagi! (Parasitic Insects: Pupa!)**_", engulfing them in a tornado of his insects that contracted and exploded after a minute or so, sending the three genin slamming to the ground.

As one of them got up, Shikamaru muttered, "Troublesome. Chōji, you're up!"

"Yosh! _**Ninpō: Baika no Jutsu! (Ninja Art: Expansion Jutsu!)**_" The Akimichi Heir expounded before he expanded into a different version of himself by expanding his stomach.

"Let's go! _**Konoha-Ryū Taijutsu: Nikudan Sensha! (Konoha-Style Taijutsu: Human Bullet Tank!)**_"

Chōji spun on his horizontal axis and became a rolling ball that sped across the clearing and over the still dazed Hoshigakure Genin, knocking him out. As Chōji changed back, he smirked at Shikamaru.

"Hah! Now you owe me a barbeque feast!" he cheered.

"Urgh…troublesome." Shikamaru grumbled, "Why'd these idiots have to jump us like this? It hasn't even been half an hour since the exam started for kami's sake!"

"Impatience is the enemy." Shino commented, "Let us take advantage of their misstep and claim their scroll."

The Nara Heir agreed and quickly rifled through the clothing and pouches of the three knocked out Genin, coming up with a Heaven Scroll.

"Good. Now all we have to worry about are the tests at the checkpoints." He said grimly, "Prop these idiots against a tree and let's beat feet out of here. We still have to set up camp."

_Team Kabuto_

"What are our orders, Kabuto?" Akadō Yoroi asked. The masked and sunglasses wearing shinobi had been subverted into joining Otogakure secretly the previous year.

"We are to trim the fat, eliminating the weaklings from the competition." The bespectacled fake-genin replied, "We are required to make it through to the Round Three Qualifiers, but no farther than that."

"Tch. I hate pretending to be weak like this." Tsurugi Misumi spat angrily.

"Orochimaru-sama will amply reward us for this. He knows full well our strength." Yoroi appeased his teammate.

'_Yes…and how you will make fascinating test subjects._' Kabuto thought dryly. Misumi had already been subjected to an experiment of Orochimaru's, allowing him to use a limited yet broader form of his _**Nan no Kaizō (Soft Body Modification)**_, while Yoroi had gained the ability to drain his enemy's chakra with physical contact. His master had commented that he was looking forward to seeing if the two could take more in the way of experiments.

"Just remember, we have to seem like we are merely Genin, so no powerful jutsu." He cautioned the two, who were very arrogant about their skills and loved to show off, "If we are uncovered now, our lives will not be worth living. Understand?"

The other two shuddered and nodded. Disappointing the Snake Sannin brought a fate worse than death upon you.

"Good. Well then…"Kabuto said with a wicked smile as he used one finger to push his glasses up his nose, "Let's get to hunting."

_Team Gai_

Tenten looked on in the bushes along with her teammates Neji and Lee as Gaara's Team was confronted by a team of experienced Amegakure Genin, who they had been tracking in hopes of acquiring their scroll. The three were called Shigure, Midare and Baiu and were very overconfident. Even right now, they were provoking Gaara, and making his siblings back away from him nervously.

"Shit, this isn't good." She whispered to Neji, "Once Gaara attacks, we turn and run."

"Agreed." Neji said uneasily, "I have never seen someone with as much chakra as this boy…aside from Hokage-sama and Uzumaki. And theirs isn't so full of bloodlust."

"Let's go!" Shigure shouted and pulled four umbrellas from his back sheath. Throwing them into the air, he formed the Tiger Handsign and shouted, "_**Ninpō: Jouro Senbon! (Ninja Art: Raining Needles from Heaven!)**_"

At his command, the four umbrellas unfurled and started to spin, firing a multitude of senbon out of hidden compartments. It fell upon Gaara like a rain and Tenten had half a hope that the attack might succeed. Shigure deftly controlled the flight of the needles, creating an omnidirectional attack that struck at the young redheaded Suna genin at once, generating a dust cloud from the impact.

It didn't work.

When the cloud dispersed, Gaara was encapsulated in a shell of sand peppered with senbon. He glared out at Shigure from a thin crack in the sand shield.

"Wh-what the-?!" Shigure spluttered, "Impossible! Not only did I attack him from his blind spots, the force of those needles is enough to pierce five millimetre thick steel plating! How did he do that?!"

"That wasn't Gaara." Kankuro replied, "The sand moves to protect him of its own will. His _**Jidō Bōei: Sunanotate**_ is a perfect defence, as it will protect him even from attacks that he cannot see. Meaning Gaara _has _no blind spots."

"As for the penetrating force of your needles…Gaara's sand could take a hit half again as strong as that without even cracking." Temari added.

"Stop screwing with me!" Shigure growled, "Midare, Baiu! Once more!"

"On it!" they replied and drew their own umbrellas and threw them up to join their leader's own, while Shigure drew the two he had been keeping in reserve and added them to the salvo.

"_**Ninpō: Jouro Senbon!**_" the three Amegakure Genin growled and sent an even larger storm of needles at Gaara. Just as before, the sand rose up and blocked every single needle, even reinforcing locations where the needles were making headway at piercing the shield.

Eventually, the rain of senbon ended as the umbrellas ran dry of ammunition. Shigure and his teammates stood paralyzed in disbelief as the sand shield, pierced with what must have been close to a thousand senbon, cracked open and let Gaara walk out, completely unharmed, before the shield collapsed into a pile of sand.

"Now…you die." Gaara stated and thrust out a hand, "_**Sabaku Kyū! (Sand Coffin!)**_"

The sand at his feet surged out and lanced at the Amegakure Genin, capturing them before they even had a chance to get away. They struggled but they were held perfectly still by the chakra infused sand.

"Let me go!" Shigure roared.

"I tire of the yelping of weaklings." Gaara said coldly, "_**Sabaku Sōsō! (Sand Burial!)**_"

With that, Gaara crushed the three genin into a messy pulp, bits of blood and bone flying from their faces, before the sand closed in over them. Team Gai stared in horror, completely forgetting about the plan as they beheld the scene before them.

'_This…this wasn't a fight!_' the brunette thought numbly, '_It was a slaughter! Those Ame Genin never stood a chance from the get-go! And he killed them in cold blood! Naruko was right! We have to get away from him!_'

Hurriedly, she grabbed Neji and Lee, pulling them away and into the trees before the Sand Siblings could spot them.

_With Temari_

The Wind Mistress noticed the Konoha Team as she walked forward, but didn't say anything about them to Gaara, who had that exultant look on his face that he got whenever he killed someone. She was the one who could at least talk Gaara down from killing too many people…sometimes. And she tried to stop people from committing suicide by Gaara as much as was possible.

'_And yet, you get morons like these three._' She thought with a sigh as she asked, "Gaara, can you bring their scroll to the surface?"

A small molehill formed as the scroll broke the surface of the mound of bloody sand and human remains that had once been Shigure of Amegakure. Grimacing, Temari kneeled down, pulled it out and examined it, seeing that it was a bit bloody, but not damaged.

"Right, that's the scroll." She said, standing up and pocketing the scroll, "Time to find the checkpoints."

Gaara snorted and drew the sand back into his gourd before striding off into the forest. Kankuro made a face at Temari. She knew being in close proximity to Gaara for extended periods of time was not the puppeteer's favourite pastime, but she nodded at where Gaara had walked pointedly, so he sighed and walked off, with Temari taking up the rear position.

_With Shikaku_

The Head of the Nara Clan had just settled down for a nap under a nice leafy shade-providing tree when some proctors ran towards him.

'_What now?_' he thought in irritation.

"Nara-san!" the first to reach him gasped, "We've found bodies!"

"Already?" Shikaku raised his eyebrows, "That must break the record. It's only been, what, four hours since the exams started?"

"No, no, no!" the man shook his head violently, "We found bodies outside the Forest! Killed before the exam even started!"

This woke Shikaku up fully. "Take me to them." He ordered the men.

It wasn't pretty. Three Kusagakure Genin, one kunoichi and two ninja, had died whilst held down. Worse, all three had had their faces removed, and in a way that Shikaku knew.

"The _**Shōshagan no Jutsu (Vanishing Facial Copy Jutsu)**_." Shikaku said grimly, "Orochimaru's favourite original spying technique. You, send word to the Hokage that someone has infiltrated the exams, likely either a subordinate of Orochimaru or Orochimaru himself. You, gather the emergency squad! We're going in!"

"Hai!" the two said, vanishing in Shunshin almost at once, leaving Shikaku to his pondering.

'_Troublesome. Why would Orochimaru infiltrate these exams rather than any of the ones in the past?_' he thought before arriving at a conclusion that he didn't want to arrive at; the Uchiha. Uchiha Sasuke had finally become a genin and had awoken his _**Sharingan**_. For Orochimaru, who was obsessed with Ninjutsu, the Copy-Wheel Eye would be an irresistible prize for him.

"Haaaah…why'd this have to happen when it's me in charge of the damn exam?" Shikaku groused.

"Nara-san!" the second proctor reappeared looking panicked, "The squad has been dosed with a poison of some kind! They're all knocked out!"

Shikaku sighed. "Great. You stay here and direct the rest of the exam. I'm going in alone."

"Nara-san?!" the proctor looked taken aback, "Why?! You don't stand a chance against one of the Densetsu no Sannin!"

"If I was fighting to win, no." Shikaku replied, "But all I have to do is to hold him back for a while until Hokage-sama or the ANBU arrive to make him retreat. That is within my skillset."

With that, the last Jonin commander leapt easily over the fence and started speeding through the Forest of Death, homing in on the chakra source that indicated the location of one Uchiha Sasuke.

_With Orochimaru_

The Snake Sannin paused as he sensed the chakra of a Jonin-level Shinobi other than himself, Sabaku no Gaara and Uzumaki Naruko in the forest.

'_Hmmm…Shikaku is coming in…alone._' He thought, '_He must have discovered the corpses of the Kusagakure weaklings I used to create these disguises. Luckily, the nearest reinforcements were taken care of by young Kabuto via some drugs in their water and food._'

This was a dilemma. Should he kill the Jonin Commander or just cripple him?

Decisions, decisions…

'_No, not either of those choices._' The Snake Sannin sighed regretfully, '_If the Jonin Commander of Konoha is killed or crippled, the other nations in the exams would demand to have the exams called off._'

That would make his takeover of Sunagakure pointless. So he'd just _gently_ chastise the man.

Orochimaru frowned even further when he realised that Shikaku wasn't searching for him; he was making a beeline towards Uchiha Sasuke's position. The Snake Sannin instantly saw the man's plan; he was going to guard Sasuke from him and delay until the ANBU or the old monkey turn up.

Sensible, well thought out… and predictable.

"Well now, we can't have that." He muttered, "Tayuya! Jirōbō!"

"Hai!" the two knelt at once, shedding their disguises.

"I am off to play with Shikaku-kun for a moment." The Sannin said with a chuckle, "Eliminate at least five teams each while I am gone. Try not to kill them…wasting possible experimental resources is such a waste."

"By your command, Orochimaru-sama!" Jirōbō smirked.

"We'll mow down these pissants like they're fucking weeds!" the foulmouthed guard of the North Gate declared.

"Tayuya, girls shouldn't talk like that." The large boy scolded her.

"Up yours, lard-ass!" Tayuya sneered at him.

"Play nicely together." Orochimaru admonished them before vanishing in a Shunshin, reappearing near where Shikaku was travelling. The Snake Sannin immediately fired out a sealless _**Fūton: Daitoppa (Wind Style: Great Breakthrough)**_ that sent Shikaku flying into a tree…or rather, it sent the _log_ the Jonin Commander had _**Kawarimi'd**_ with into a tree.

"As cautious as ever, Shikaku." Orochimaru drawled as he turned to face the Nara Clan Head, removing the false face he wore, "Keeping a _**Kawarimi no Jutsu**_ ready _just_ in case I were to ambush you."

"Orochimaru…why are you here?" Shikaku demanded, a kunai out and ready to be used.

"Come now Shikaku…no dissembling." The Sannin rebuked him softly, "A man as smart as you must have deduced by now what my goal is…or _who_, to be precise."

"Uchiha Sasuke is it?" the black-haired man huffed, "You really are troublesome with that jutsu obsession of yours. I'm not going to let it happen."

"I am afraid that you don't exactly have much in the way of choice here, Shikaku." Orochimaru sneered, "I am a Sannin, a High-S-Rank Shinobi. You, by yourself, are merely a Mid-B-Rank Shinobi. The odds are stacked against you, boy."

"As troublesome as this situation might be, I would have to disagree." Shikaku smirked. He threw something behind him, which detonated immediately, blinding Orochimaru.

"Tch. Flash bombs?" he hissed.

"_**Ninpō: Kage Asshō! (Ninja Art: Shadow Crushing Pressure Palm!)**_" Shikaku muttered as he reached out with one hand, the light from the flash bomb extending his shadow indefinitely and making his hand's shadow extra-large. He used it to grab and crush Orochimaru while he was still blinded before throwing his body into another tree.

The Snake Sannin, in pain, dislocated his jaw, opened it and vomited up an completely unhurt version of himself. The hurt one simply flopped to the ground like a shed snake skin.

"I'd heard of it, but I never thought I'd see the infamous _**Orochimaru-Ryū no Kawarimi no Jutsu (Orochimaru-Style Replacement Jutsu)**_ in person." Shikaku said as he sighed and turned to face the Sannin once again, the light of the flashbang grenade long since having faded, "Gotta say, it has to be one of the most _disgusting_ Jutsu I have ever seen."

"Kukukukukukuku…it is nevertheless far more useful than the basic _**Kawarimi no Jutsu**_, Shikaku." Orochimaru chuckled, "It _is_ chakra intensive, but I have the chakra to spare. Now…I shall play with you."

Faster than most ninja could blink, the Snake Sannin swiftly ran through several handsigns and said, "_**Suiton: Daiteppōdama no Jutsu! (Water Style: Giant Bullet Ball Jutsu!)**_"

He unhinged his mouth and fired an enormous ball of water at Shikaku, who made the Rat handsign in return.

"_**Konoha Hiden: Kage Gijin no Jutsu! (Tree Leaf Secret Technique: Human Shadow Simulation Jutsu!)**_"

Shikaku's shadow split in two and shot forward, with two shadowy forms materialising above them, shadow copies of their creator. The two shadows lashed out with punches that burst the _**Daiteppōdama**_ in an explosion of water before speeding towards Orochimaru.

'_Fast! But if it's just this level of speed…_' he thought and leapt away, but Shikaku wasn't done yet.

"_**Nara Hiden**_ _**Ninpō: Kagemusha! (Nara Secret Ninja Art: Shadow Warrior!)**_" He said, pressing more chakra into his current jutsu. The two shadows combined into a single shadow-Shikaku and separated from his shadow, leaping at a wide-eyed Orochimaru.

'_A shadow jutsu that the user can control without having to be connected by his own shadow?!_' he thought in disbelief, '_I've never even heard of such a thing being possible!_'

Recovering, the Snake Sannin flashed through more handsigns. "_**Raiton: Gian no Jutsu! (Lightning Style: False Darkness Jutsu!)**_"

Opening his mouth again, he vomited a large blast of lightning at the shadow warrior, causing it to vanish, as well as obliterating a few trees behind it and blasting a hole in the ground.

Suddenly, a fist struck him on the side of his head and sent him tumbling to the ground. Orochimaru recovered on instinct and landed safely, snarling as he looked up to see the _**Kagemusha**_ landing opposite him.

"A very intriguing jutsu." Orochimaru admitted, "Do tell how you are able to control it without controlling it via your shadow?"

"It's a jutsu only known to the Head of the Nara Clan." Shikaku replied, "As for how I control it…I don't. It's basically an autonomous being similar to the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, only far more resilient. It has one order programmed into it; defeat the enemy before me. It will rip through you in order to accomplish that goal."

"Kukukuku…it will not have the chance." The Sannin sneered as he ran through more handsigns, "_**Katon: Benijigumo no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Crimson Earth Spider Jutsu!)**_"

Releasing a large plume of flames, the Sannin guided it into a circle around the _**Kagemusha**_ and created a large spider of fire that charged straight at the shadow warrior, engulfing it in fire.

Shikaku smirked. "I'd look behind you if I were in your shoes."

"What are you-agn!" Orochimaru started to speak before his head was once again struck, this time from behind. He leapt away and growled as the _**Kagemusha**_ stood before him, utterly unharmed.

"Did I forget to mention that it uses the ambient power in already existing shadows to heal and regenerate itself?" the Nara Clan Head mentioned casually, idly buffing his nails as he spoke.

"In which case I shall eliminate the creator." Orochimaru snarled, "_**Katon: Enko Bakuhatsu no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Flame Tiger Bombing Jutsu!)**_"

From his mouth, a large gout of flames emerged, shaped like a snarling tiger. It roared and leapt at Shikaku, who threw a kunai with an exploding tag trailing behind it at the flame construct as he leapt away.

The explosion dispelled the tiger and blinded Orochimaru again for a moment. A cold sensation struck him as he found that he couldn't move.

"_**Kageshibari no Jutsu (Shadow Binding Jutsu)**_…success." Shikaku said with a grin as the smoke revealed him and the length of his shadow connecting him and Orochimaru, "Now…_**Kage Nui no Jutsu! (Shadow Sewing Jutsu!)**_"

Grunting in pain, the Snake Sannin felt countless needles shoot up from his shadow and pierce through him. He grunted again as the _**Kagemusha **_slammed into him with several punches, kicks and even a headbutt.

"That…is more than enough!" he growled and broke the _**Kageshibari no Jutsu**_ by flaring his chakra. He then caught the incoming fist of the _**Kagemusha **_and blasted it with his own chakra, destroying it utterly.

"_**Katon: Zukokku no Jutsu! (Fire Style: Searing Migraine Jutsu!)**_" Orochimaru spat and fired a pressurised ball of flames at Shikaku that the Jonin Commander was hard pressed to avoid when it sailed past him and erupted into a maelstrom of fire. The Snake Sannin then slammed his hand onto the ground as a few meters of trees were obliterated.

"_**Doton: Daichi Ganshō no Jutsu! (Earth Style: Ground Bedrock Jutsu!)**_" He said as two sections of the ground rose up and trapped Shikaku between them like a vice.

"Troublesome." Shikaku grumbled as he tried to free himself.

Orochimaru, after using his unique version of _**Kawarimi**_ to restore his body, walked over to the trapped Jonin and looked at him in amusement.

"That was harder than I was anticipating." he remarked, "I would rate you considerably higher than your Bingo book entry. Still, I am victorious."

"What now?" Shikaku grunted as the stones holding him affected his breathing.

"Now you take a nap, and have a nightmare, knowing that you have failed and the Uchiha is mine! Oh, and don't think about cancelling the exams…you wouldn't want to make me angry, would you?" Orochimaru laughed before chopping the Jonin Commander on the back of the neck with one hand, rendering him unconscious. He mused that Sarutobi-sensei would probably have given him a passing mark back in the day for a textbook perfect non-lethal capture of an enemy combatant.

Still chuckling, he went over to the remains of his first body and picked up the false face he had taken and replaced it after wiping off the ashes from his fire attacks. Then he sauntered off towards the chakra signature of his prey.

He had an Uchiha to test.

Orochimaru had to admit that he had severely underestimated Shikaku. The Nara Clan was very secretive about how it used its Shadow Jutsu, to the point that most people only really knew about the _**Kagemane/Kageshibari no Jutsu**_. Not only that, he had surprised Shikaku and not given him any chance to set up the battlefield. If he had, it would have been a very difficult battle, to the point that Orochimaru would have been forced to retreat to avoid the investigating ANBU.

'_Kukukukuku…now then Sasuke-kun…let's see if you can similarly impress me…_' he thought as he walked.

_With Team 7_

Kiba wrinkled his nose as the wind changed direction. "Ew. What is that stink?"

"What's up?" Sakura asked. The pinkette had just finished setting the last trap in the clearing and was looking out the cooking supplies. Neither Sasuke nor Kiba had any degree of skill in cooking aside from basic ration preparation, so it usually fell to her to cook on missions like this. She was going to ask Kakashi-sensei to do something about that after the exams.

"Something reeks bad…smells like blood and snakes." The Inuzuka Heir answered with a frown, "Whatever it is, it's really strong."

"This is a forest, mutt." Sasuke grunted, "_Obviously _there's going to be snakes in a forest."

"Idiot." Kiba snorted, "Snakes constrict and swallow their prey whole, so there shouldn't _be_ a smell of blood about them unless someone's killed a lot of them and practically bathed in their blood."

"Kukukuku…" a sinister voice started chuckling, "How right you are, boy."

A female genin from Kusagakure strode out of the gloom of the forest with a smirk on her face and a menacing aura about her that make Sakura gulp and Akamaru growl.

"Well now…" the kunoichi said as she licked her lips with a long, serpentine tongue, "Let us see what you are made of…Sasuke-kun."

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**Next Chapter: Forest of Death Pt2: The Taste of Defeat**

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**Jutsu Lexicon**

**Any Jutsu in Bold is my creation.**

_Any Jutsu in Italic is an Anime or Game Jutsu that had no rank, so I gave it one._

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Kagemane no Jutsu/Kageshibari no Jutsu - Shadow Possession Jutsu/Shadow Binding Jutsu

Rank: _Varies._

Type: _Supplementary, Hiden, Ninjutsu, Nara Clan_

Effect: _The signature and most well-known Hiden Jutsu of the Nara Clan of Konohagakure. The user can extend his shadow along almost and surface, including water and attaches it to the shadow of an enemy, which allows the user to force the target to mimic their actions. It is not advised to use this technique repeatedly as it has diminishing results if repeated frequently inside an unspecified time frame. Originally, it merely bound the target to immobility and was known as the Shadow Binding Jutsu, but had the mimicking portion added later and was renamed the Shadow Possession Jutsu. The name is irrelevant as the jutsu will act the same way regardless of it._

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_Kikaichū: Sanagi - Parasitic Insects: Pupa_

Rank: _High-C_

Type: _Offensive, Supplementary, Aburame Clan, Hiden, Ninjutsu_

Effect: _Unleashing a large swarm of his Kikaichū, Shino forms a tornado around the enemy before releasing a fresh swarm that compresses the tornado of insects upon the enemy, damaging them._

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Ninpō: Baika no Jutsu - Ninja Art: Expansion Jutsu

Rank: _Varies._

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Supplementary, Akimichi Clan_

Effect: _A secret technique of the Akimichi Clan that converts their calories into chakra. Otherwise known as the Multi-Size technique, this allows the user to freely alter their size at will for extended periods of time. Often used as a precursor to other Akimichi techniques._

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Konoha-Ryū Taijutsu: Nikudan Sensha - Konoha-Style Taijutsu: Human Bullet Tank

Rank: C

Type: _Taijutsu, Offensive, Akimichi Clan_

Effect: Following on from using the Baika no Jutsu to enlarge their abdomen, the user rolls into a ball and charges the enemy, rolling them down and crushing them. Despite its slightly comical appearance, it is far more lethal that it seems on the outside. A side effect of this jutsu plugs up the user's ears, rendering auditory genjutsu useless against them.

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Ninpō: Jouro Senbon - Ninja Art: Raining Needles from Heaven

Rank: C

Type: _Ninjutsu, Shurikenjutsu, Offensive, Amegakure_

Effect: _Created in Amegakure, this jutsu uses an umbrella loaded with senbon as a medium. After throwing it into the air and performing the handsign, the umbrella launches countless senbon needles at the enemy. The user can control the direction of the needles and they attack the target from all directions, so it is impossible to dodge. The force of the needles is said to be strong enough to pierce five millimetre thick steel and dipping them in poison ups the lethality of the jutsu considerably. An experienced user of this technique may use up to four umbrellas in this jutsu simultaneously. A thoroughly deadly jutsu if used properly._

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Sabaku Kyū - Sand Coffin

Rank: _High-C_

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Sabaku no Gaara only, Kekkei Genkai, Jiton._

Effect: _Exercising his control over sand, Gaara entraps the enemy in his special chakra-infused sand. This can be used to merely hold them, suffocate them or as a base to use a far more deadly technique. It should be noted that the chakra requirements to control sand with Magnet Style is far beyond most Jonin._

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Sabaku Sōsō - Sand Burial

Rank: _High-C_

Type: _Ninjutsu, offensive, Sabaku no Gaara only, Kekkei Genkai, Jiton_

Effect: _After capturing an enemy or enemies in his Sabaku Kyū technique, Gaara can utilise this technique, which exerts a great deal of pressure on the trapped target(s) via compression of the sand that binds them, literally crushing them. Gaara can control the pressure exerted by this technique, allowing him to selectively break one bone on a target out of the entire skeleton or liquefy the target completely._

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_Ninpō: Kage Asshō - Ninja Art: Shadow Crushing Pressure Palm_

Rank: _High-C_

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Offensive, Supplementary, Nara Clan_

Effect: _An interesting Jutsu derived from the Shadow-Neck Binding Jutsu. Throwing flash bombs behind them, the user blinds the enemy and extends the reach of their own shadow infinitely. Reaching out with their hand, the user can create a large shadow hand that can grasp the target and crush or throw them as the user likes._

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Orochimaru-Ryū no Kawarimi no Jutsu - Orochimaru-Style Replacement Jutsu

Rank: _High-A_

Type: _Kinjutsu, Supplementary, Ninjutsu._

Effect: _Developed by the Snake Sannin Orochimaru, this technique, despite its name, does not function like the standard substitution jutsu. Instead, should the user be gravely wounded, they can use this technique to regurgitate their body in perfect condition, leaving behind an empty shell. This jutsu is classed as a Kinjutsu due to the incredibly high chakra cost to use this technique._

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_Suiton: Daiteppōdama no Jutsu - Water Style: Giant Bullet Ball Jutsu_

Rank: _High-C_

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _An improved version of the Teppōdama, this jutsu fires a large ball of condensed water at the enemy at tremendous speeds. An unprepared enemy could be pierced through by this technique instantly._

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_Konoha Hiden: Kage Gijin no Jutsu - Tree Leaf Secret Technique: Human Shadow Simulation Jutsu_

Rank: _Low-B_

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive, Hiden, Nara Clan_

Effect: _Derived from the Kagemane no Jutsu initially, this technique became common for Jonin-level Nara shinobi to use about fifty years after they joined Konohagakure. Splitting their shadow in two, they create shadowy doppelgangers rooted in their shadow that assail the enemy before returning to shadow form and wrapping around the enemy, crushing them. Rumours have it that the 'ultimate laziness technique' of the Nara Clan is based on this jutsu._

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**Nara Hiden** **Ninpō: Kagemusha - Nara Secret Ninja Art: Shadow Warrior**

Rank: _High-A_

Type: _Nara Clan, Hiden, Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _The rumoured 'ultimate laziness technique' of the Nara Clan, only the Clan Head knows how to perform this jutsu. Using the Kage Gijin no Jutsu as a base, the user merges them together to create a true shadow doppelganger of themselves. After this, the shadow warrior separates from the user's shadow, making it unique among the Nara Clan jutsu. The Kagemusha then attacks the enemies its creator physically. It cannot use any jutsu, but is several times stronger than a human to make up for it. If injured, the clone can draw on nearby shadows to regenerate itself. It can be destroyed by being hit with an A-Rank jutsu or being smothered by overwhelming chakra from someone other than its creator._

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Raiton: Gian no Jutsu - Lightning Style: False Darkness Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: _Ninjutsu, Offensive_

Effect: _A powerful lightning jutsu emitted from the mouth that can even pierce through solid rock. Experienced users can split it into multiple spears of lightning to attack one person from multiple directions or multiple people from the same jutsu. Combined with the sheer speed of the lightning, this trait makes this technique very useful. Highly experienced users can focus it into a single beam of immense destructive force not unlike Ranton._

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Katon: Benijigumo no Jutsu - Fire Style: Crimson Earth Spider Jutsu

Rank: _High-C_

Type: Ninjutsu, Offensive

Effect: A useful jutsu that both attacks and entraps the enemy. The user breaths fire that encircles the enemy in a ring of flames before shaping some into the form of a giant spider that charges in to attack the enemy.

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_Katon: Enko Bakuhatsu no Jutsu - Fire Style: Flame Tiger Bombing Jutsu_

Rank: _C_

Type: _Offensive, Ninjutsu_

Effect: Similar to Katon: Gōryūka no Jutsu in that it involves shape transformation, Enko Bakuhatsu is weaker, with a tiger used instead of a dragon. It is on par with the Gōkakyū no Jutsu in terms of overall power.

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Kage Nui no Jutsu - Shadow Sewing Jutsu

Rank: _B_

Type: _Hiden, Ninjutsu, Nara Clan, Offensive, Supplementary_

Effect: _One of the more sadistic offshoots from the Kagemane no Jutsu, this technique is intended to cause pain and maim while it captures the target. Once the user's shadow is connected to the target, several sharpened tendrils erupt from it and pierce through the skin and muscle of the target. With enough accuracy, the user can render a target immobile, cripple them or kill them at will. Fast to deploy and easy to maintain over an extended period of time, this is the go-to method in a pinch situation with a powerful foe. Additionally, it can be turned back into the Kagemane no Jutsu at the user's will._

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Katon: Zukokku no Jutsu - Fire Style: Searing Migraine Jutsu

Rank: B

Type: Ninjutsu, Offensive

Effect: Also known as the Fire Style: Cranium Carver, this is a very powerful fire jutsu that fires a powerful compressed ball of fire at the target that erupts into a firestorm on contact. If combined with a Fūton ninjutsu to empower it, this jutsu can evaporate a small lake in seconds.

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Doton: Daichi Ganshō no Jutsu - Earth Style: Ground Bedrock Jutsu

Rank: _C_

Type: _Ninjutsu, Supplementary_

Effect: _The user traps their opponent in between two slabs of earth._


End file.
